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COFYRIGHT DEPOSFT. 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 



BY 

N. C. CARPENTER 

w 

With an Introduction by 
T. S. TINSLEY 



"There let the way appear. 

Steps unto heaven; 
AH that Thou sendest me. 

In mercy given ; 
Angels to beckon me 

Nearer, my God, to Thee." 

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the vs^ilderness, 
even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever 
believeth may in him have eternal life."— John 3:14 



Revised Edition 




BOSTON 

SHERMAN, FRENCH & COMPANY 

1915 



ni5 



Copyright, 1915 
Sherman, French & Company 



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^' 



, SEP 24 i9i5 



TO 

MY DARLING SISTER 

MAY 

WHOSE PRECIOUS LIFE HAS 
BEEN AN ENCOURAGEMENT 
TO ME IN DOING RIGHT, AND 
WHO NOW AWAITS MY COM- 
ING IN HEAVEN, THIS VOL- 
UME IS AFFECTIONATELY 
DEDICATED 



PREFACE 

In fulfilling the task of adding another volume 
to our sermonic literature, I feel it to be a duty to 
state the spirit that has guided me in carrying it 
to a conclusion. 

I believe that every Christian ought to be a 
zealous student of the Word of God. In fact, the 
Christian is commanded to have the Scriptures 
dwelling in him richly. Obedience to this com- 
mand necessitates careful study of the Bible. 
" Study to show thyself approved unto God; a 
workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly di- 
viding the Word of Truth." Ftill compliance 
with this precept can only be had by close study 
of the teachings of Christ, the apostles, and the 
prophets. Any book that will aid its readers to a 
higher appreciation of the Word of God, or that 
will strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and lead 
them to more serious thinking and to holier living, 
has a right to appear and claim a place before the 
reading public. 

Believing that those who read this volume 
thoughtfully will have a higher appreciation of the 
Word of God, a stronger faith in Jesus Christ, bet- 
ter ears, keener eyes, deeper hearts, cleaner hands 
and holier souls, the author modestly offers it to 



PREFACE 

all classes of readers, and in so doing he confidently 
looks for some degree of appreciation from those 
who read carefully and with a desire to know more 
of the spirit of the Master ! 

Finally — I send these pages forth, praying 
that they may be blessed to aid the cause of truth 
and righteousness, and that he in whose name and 
for whose glory they are written may, of his great 
mercy, 

" Forgive them where they fail in truth. 
And in his wisdom make me wise." 

N. c. c. 
Fayette, Ohio. 



INTRODUCTION 

To preach! Nothing else like it on earth! 
Nothing like it in heaven ! It is to " speak for 
God " — to become a voice for God's truth and 
God's love. More : it is to see God, to reveal God, 
to give God to the world. God in Christ ! God in 
the Gospel ! God in the heart and voice and soul 
of the preacher! 

The preacher is unique. That which makes him 
is different — different from the making in every 
other workman. That which the preacher makes 
is different — different from the products of any 
other calling. The preacher is made by agencies 
both scrutable and inscrutable. The discernible 
things that give form to his calling are not so fun- 
damental as the things known only to God. I 
believe in the divinity of all men with still a plus 
to the preacher. 

The products of the preacher are unique. Some 
of the things he must do are natural; others are, 
at least, above nature, if we may not say super- 
natural. He must build his church as a business 
man builds his trade, but he also builds above the 
sky line of human commerce. Part of his build- 
ing is seen on earth but the sculptured frieze and 



INTRODUCTION 

gable are above the earth cloud line and are to be 
seen only in heaven ! 

N. C. Carpenter is a preacher. His people 
know it. His sermons prove it ! Best of all, the 
souls converted to Christ and saved from the power 
of sin record it not only on the consciousness of his 
large and growing circle of Christian associates, 
but also on the unforgetting heart of God in 
heaven. 

T. S. TiNSLEY. 

Midway, Kentucky. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I Steps unto Heaven 1 

II Whose Son is He? 20 

III God and the Sinner 31 

IV The Home of the Soul .... 41 

V The New Testament Gospel ... 54 

VI The Greater Works 65 

VII Risen or Stolen — which? ... 76 

VIII The Awakening of a Soul ... 89 

IX The Spirit of our Master . . . .102 

X The Soul's Physician 112 

XI The Pre-eminence of our Saviour . 131 

XII The Way to God 141 

XIII The Prodigal Son 153 

XIV That Precious Name 167 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

" Beside all this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, 
courage; and to courage knowledge; and to knowledge tem- 
perance; and to temperance patience; and to patience God- 
likeness and to Godlikeness brotherly kindness; and to 
brotherly kindness love." (II Peter 1:5, 6). 

" There let the way appear, 

Steps unto heaven; 
All that thou sendest me 

In mercy given; 
Angels to beckon me 

Nearer, my God, to thee." 

The author of this stanza must have had in 
mind a great flight of steps on which the soul 
chmbs unto heaven, and the text is the Scripture 
upon which I think the thought is based. In the 
text the apostle presents, as it were, a spiritual 
stairway extending from earth to heaven, and the 
chart before you will represent this stairway. 

Naturally, before we are ready to begin the life 

march up these steps, or in other words, before 

this spiritual stairway is built, the foundation 

must be laid. What shall be the foundation? 

Paul says, " Other foundation can no man lay 

than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 

1 



2 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

Therefore, let us notice very carefully what is in- 
volved in laying the foundation, for the strength 
of the superstructure depends wholly upon the 
foundation. 

I. Faith. " But without faith it is impossible 
to please God : for he that cometh to God must be- 
lieve that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them 
that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6.) 

II. Repentance. " Except ye repent ye 
shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3.) 

III. Confession. " Whosoever therefore shall 
confess me before men, him will I also confess 
before my Father who is in heaven. But who- 
soever shall deny me before men, him will I also 
deny before my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 
10:32, 33.) 

IV. Baptism. " He that believeth and is bap- 
tized shall be saved ; but he that disbelieveth shall 
be condemned." (Mark 16:16.) "Then Peter 
said unto them. Repent, and be baptized every one 
of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for 
the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38.) "Jesus 
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a 
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can- 
not enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3 :5.) 
" Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism 
into death that like as Christ was raised up from 
the dead by the glory of the Father, even we also 
should walk in newness of life. For if we have 
been planted together in the likeness of his death, 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 3 

we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." 
(Rom. 6:4, 5.) "Buried with him in baptism, 
wherein ye also are risen with him through the 
faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him 
from the dead." (Col. 2:12.) 

We believe into Christ, we repent into Christ, 
we confess into Christ, we are baptized into Christ. 
Thus he becomes the foundation upon which we are 
to build the stairway leading to God. 

Now then, having laid the foundation, the 
apostle says, " Beside all this (that is, beside 
your faith, and repentance, and confession, and 
your baptism) giving all diligence add to your 
faith courage ; and to your courage knowledge ; and 
to your knowledge temperance; and to temperance 
patience ; and to patience Godlikeness ; and to God- 
likeness brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kind- 
ness love." 

We are now ready to begin the ascent of this 
stairway. We are ready to begin the " Steps 
unto Heaven " — to begin climbing heavenward ! 

What, then, according to the text, is the first 
steip? With what must we start? What is the 
first step we are to take after we become Chris- 
tians .^ What is the first thing we need? These are 
a few important questions, and may be answered 
by saying: 

I. The first step is the step called cour- 
age. The first thing the Lord would have you 
learn is that there is no room in his kingdom for 
a moral coward. You _. must be courageous ! 



4 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

" Stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be 
strong." Have moral courage to remain faithful 
among the unfaithful; godly among the ungodly; 
thoughtful among the thoughtless, and Christlike 
among the unchristlike ! Be true as steel, what- 
ever way the wind may blow. " Holding fast to 
the profession of your faith without wavering." 
Stand for the right anywhere and everywhere ! 
Let the world know that you stand for God and his 
righteousness ! 

" Do you think," said Frith to the archbishop's 
men that would have let him go, " that I am afraid 
to declare mine opinion unto the bishops of Eng- 
land in a manifest truth? If you both should 
leave me here, and go tell the bishops that you had 
lost Frith, I would surely follow after as fast as 
I might, and bring them news that I found and 
brought Frith again." This man had courage to 
declare the right before even the bishops who op- 
posed him. Here was a moral hero ! 

When the rulers of the people called the men of 
God " and commanded them not to speak at all 
nor teach in the name of Jesus," they answered, 
" We cannot but speak the things which we have 
seen and heard." And instead of being silent, 
they proclaimed Christ with added boldness. 
These men of God had real courage — the kind 
of courage that would make them bold enough 
and calm enough to act wisely. Their bravery 
was something more than bravado ! In their con- 
duct every mark of true courage is manifest. 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 5 

They show that their course is not prompted by 
impulse or passion. Their souls are moved with 
deep convictions. " Whether it be right in the 
sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto 
God judge ye." They station themselves on the 
highest ground, the sense of right ! There is no 
other courage so lofty or so enduring as this. It 
steadies the nerves, keeps the head cool and the 
heart brave ! It makes men masters of every sit- 
uation. 

Then, taking these apostles and men of God 
as examples, stand firm and tell the hissing world 
that you are a Christian. It will, perhaps, laugh 
at you at first, but when it sees that you are deeply 
in earnest it will turn, fall at your feet and beg 
forgiveness. 

But a young man says, " I never did like to be 
called a coward and when I refuse to drink with 
the other young men, to go to Sunday baseball, 
to gamble, or in other words, when I refuse to do 
anything that I know to be wrong, they call it 
cowardice, and say that I am a coward." Lis- 
ten, young man! If it takes courage to drink, 
be a coward. If it takes courage to go to Sun- 
day baseball, be a coward! If it takes courage to 
do wrong, be a coward! Be called a coward all 
your life rather than a dead hero ! 

When " Pat " was called a coward for running 
away from the battle of Gettysburg when the first 
gun was fired he replied, " Faith, and I'd rather 
be called a coward all me life than to be a corpse 



6 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

fifteen minutes." " Pat " was right \ Be called 
a coward all your life rather than a dead hero! 
Doing wrong is one of the strongest indications 
that you are dead while yet alive. 

Have courage to stand for Christ. What we 
need most is men with courage to stand up for the 
religion of our Master. When the church wakes 
up and every Christian is willing to speak for him, 
willing to work for him, willing to die for him, 
then Christianity will move forward, and the great 
work of the kingdom prosper! 

A word further in this regard is to say that, 
as you begin the ascent of this flight of steps, you 
should be deeply impressed with the great truth 
that this is the most critical step in the journey, 
and that you need courage to say no to tempta- 
tion, for 

" You're starting to-day on life's journey 
Alone on the highway of life; 
You will meet with a thousand temptations; 
Each city with evil is rife. 

" This world is a stage of excitement. 
There is danger wherever you go; 
But if you are tempted in weakness, 
Have courage, my fellow, to say no. 

" The siren's sweet voice may allure you, 
Beware of her cunning and art: 
Whenever you see her approaching, 
Be guarded and haste to depart. 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 7 

" The billiard saloons are inviting, 
Decked out in their tinsel show; 
You may be invited to enter: 
Have courage, my fellow, to say no ! 

" The bright ruby wine may be offered 
No matter how tempting it be. 
From poison that stings like an adder 
My fellow, have the courage to flee. 

" The gambling halls are before you 
Their lights, how they dance to and fro, 
If you should be tempted to enter. 
Think twice, even thrice, ere you go. 

" In courage alone lies your safety, 
When you the long journey begin, 
And trust in the heavenly Father 
Will keep you unspotted from sin. 

" Temptations will go on increasing, 
As streams from a rivulet flow. 
But if you are true to your manhood. 
Have courage, my fellow, to say no ! " 

II. The second step in the spiritual stair- 
way IS knowledge. Of course, this does not 
mean secular knowledge, such as political or gov- 
ernmental knowledge, but a knowledge of the 
Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto 
salvation. And I declare unto you that the ig- 
norance regarding them is simply distressing. I 
think that I am safe in saying that there are ninety 



8 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

million people in North America who cannot tell 
you where the Saviour was born ! 

A minister of the Church of Christ was once 
holding a meeting in the South. To test the con- 
gregation's knowledge of the Scriptures he asked 
everyone who had read the book of Samson to 
hold up his hand, and, lo and behold, an old-fash- 
ioned brother, a member of the choir right in the 
amen corner, lifted up his hand. The minister 
gently suggested to him that the book had not yet 
been published. The old brother's face turned 
red. The minister eased him down by saying, 
" You need not blush ; you are the only man in 
this congregation who had the courage to vote." 
No doubt, there were others who thought they had 
read the book but who were afraid to vote. 

On another occasion two men were very enthusi- 
astically discussing religion on the street, and one 
of them said, " As Pharaoh said unto Noah, ' al- 
most thou persuadest me to become a Christian.' " 
" Yes, sir, that is right," said the other. Neither 
one of the two knew that it was Luke who recorded 
the Scripture referred to, and by the way, it was 
hundreds of years after Noah and the king of 
Egypt lived. Yet, it is just this kind of fellows 
you find discussing scriptural texts on the streets 
— fellows who don't know the first thing about 
it ! I tell you, people, no wonder the apostle 
Paul said, " Study to show thyself approved unto 
God, a workman who needeth not be ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth." 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 9 

But some one says, " I do study the Scripture, 
but I cannot understand what the Lord would 
have me to do, and I believe he will save me on 
account of my ignorance." 

My friend, be not deceived. " The times of 
ignorance, therefore, God. overlooked; but now he 
cammandeth that they should all everywhere re- 
pent" (Acts 17:30.) Again: ''And a high- 
way shall he there, and a way, and it shall he called 
the way of holiness: the unclean shall not pass 
over it; hut it shall he for the redeemed: the way- 
faring men, yea fools, shall not err therein.^'' (Isa. 
35:8.) 

If any man hath ears, let him hear. God has 
given you a mind with which to study the Scrip- 
tures, and if you are too indifferent to study them 
in order to know what to do to be saved, you will 
he damned on account of your ignorance. It is 
not a case of what you think, or of what some 
mere man tells you, but, to be very emphatic, it 
is a what sayeth the Lord! If he says you are 
going to hell on certain conditions, mark it down 
that you are going. On the other hand, if the 
Lord has said that you are going to heaven on 
certain conditions, mark it down that you are 
going if you comply with the conditions regard- 
less of what the evil one may say or do! 

III. The next step in the spiritual stair- 
way IS TEMPERANCE. There are hundreds of 
people everywhere who have a false conception as 
to what temperance really is ! They claim that 



10 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

it is all right to do anything provided we do not 
carry it to excess — that it is all right for a man 
to drink provided he does not make a pig of him- 
self. But let us see. I am sure that if I should 
ask for a definition of a drunkard that ninety- 
nine out of every hundred would say, " A drunk- 
ard is one who drinks to such an extent that he 
falls into the gutter and is carried by the police 
to jail." Well, then, suppose I pick out a man 
in this multitude, and ask him how much he can 
drink and walk absolutely straight. He replies, 
" I can drink a quart and nobody could tell that 
I had taken a drop." 

And suppose I ask " John Brown," the biggest 
sinner on the streets, how much whiskey he can 
drink and walk absolutely straight. He replies, 
" If I should drink one gill, I would fall into the 
ditch. One gill would make me dead-drunk." 

Now then, according to your definition, " John 
Brown," who drank only a gill, would be the 
drunkard, while the man who drank the quart 
would be a sober man — a Christian gentleman. 

Listen ! " Temperance has to do only with the 
things that are lawful, things that are right." 
Suppose you take your gun, walk out yonder and 
shoot a man down in cold blood. You might have 
killed ten men, but you use self-control and are 
temperate. Would you be a^ murderer.? Most 
assuredly you would be a murderer. " Thou shalt 
not kill." 

Suppose you take God's name in vain just once. 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 11 

You might take it in vain twenty times, but you 
use self-control and are temperate. Would there 
be anything wrong in it? Most certainly it would 
be wrong. " Thou shalt not take the name of 
Jehovah thy God in vain, for Jehovah will not 
hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." 
You must be temperate in all things that are 
lawful, but if a thing is wrong within itself, then 
the Scripture would be, " Touch not, taste not, 
handle not an unclean thing." 

IV. Another step in the spiritual stair- 
way IS PATIENCE. No man or woman is equipped 
for life's duties and responsibilities who does not 
possess patience. Especially is this true of the 
person who is endeavoring to follow the Master. 
Somewhere I learned that Christian patience is 
waiting, and that it is much more than waiting ; it 
is endurance which involves strain and trial. It 
is bearing a burden while you wait for the crown 
incorruptible. Indeed, patience is the guardian 
of faith, the preserver of peace, the cherisher of 
love, the teacher of humility. Patience governs 
the flesh, strengthens the spirit, sweetens the tem- 
per, stifles anger, extinguishes envy, subdues 
pride ; she bridles the tongue, restrains the hand, 
tramples upon temptations, endures persecutions, 
and consummates martyrdom. Patience produces 
unity in the church, loyalty in the state, harmony 
in families and in society ; she comforts the poor 
and moderates the rich; she makes us humble in 
prosperity, cheerful in adversity, unmoved by 



12 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

calumny and reproach; she teaches us to forgive 
those who have injured us, and to be the first in 
asking forgiveness of those whom we have injured; 
she dehghts the faithful and invites the unbeliev- 
ing; is loved in the child, is praised in a young 
man ; she is beautiful in either sex and in any age. 

V. We are now on the step called God- 
LiKENESS. If this Godlikeness is to be something 
practical, something for our good, it must be like- 
ness to God manifest in the flesh — likeness to 
Jesus Christ. Jesus himself says, " He that hath 
seen me hath seen the Father." He and his 
Father are one. Therefore, if you are Christlike 
you are Godlike. 

Christlikeness means that you are to love and 
live like he loved and lived. This means that you 
are to love your enemies, and live for others. 
When they took up stones to stone him he loved 
them, and when they despitefully used him he 
prayed for them. The Lord here, as everywhere, 
is our pattern ; we are to do as he did. 

But I have talked to many persons who claim it 
is impossible for one to love his enemies. One old 
man said, " It was not intended that we should love 
our enemies. It is not in human nature." The 
old man was right. " It is not in human na- 
ture; but it is in Christ's nature, and it is in 
divine nature. And it is in the divine nature to 
impart it through Christ to those who claim it." 
You are to love your enemies, not only because it 
is Christlike, but because it is the way to subdue 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 13 

them. By love a sincere friend can be made out 
of a most bitter enemy. 

It is recorded of a Chinese emperor that when 
he learned that his enemies had raised an insurrec- 
tion in a distant province he said to his officers, 
" Come ! follow me, and we shall quickly destroy 
them." He marched forward, and the rebels sub- 
mitted upon his approach. All now thought that 
he would take the most signal revenge, but were 
surprised to see the captives treated with mild- 
ness and humility. " How," cried the first offi- 
cer ; " is this the manner in which your promise 
is fulfilled.^ Your royal word was given that your 
enemies should be destroyed. And behold, you 
have pardoned them all, and even caressed some 
of them." " I promised," said the emperor, " to 
destroy my enemies. I have fulfilled my word, 
for see — they are enemies no longer — I have 
made friends of them." In loving his enemies this 
emperor was Christlike. 

This Christlikeness cannot be attained sud- 
denly — in a moment. You must grow into it 
gradually. It is an unfolding; it is a growth. 

An intelligent physician was ha^dng trouble re- 
garding his Christlikeness. He seems to have 
thought that he was making too slow progress in 
the Christian growth ; that he was becoming like 
Christ too slowly. He decided to make his trou- 
ble known to his minister. He did so. The min- 
ister saw through it all in a minute, and to help 
him out of the difficulty the minister said, " I go 



14 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

into the home of the father and mother after God 
has given them their first baby. To them that is 
the sweetest and brightest baby on earth. The 
father says, ' Say, who do you think this baby 
looks like? ' And I confess that I never saw a lit- 
tle baby that ever looked like anybody; it looks 
just like a little baby. That is all I can see. 
* Don't you think it looks like its father? ' ' Not 
a bit ; all babies look alike to me.' 

" I come back when it is a year old. The baby 
does not look like it did a year ago ; it does not 
look like anybody yet. I come again and it is 
five years old. He is a little boy wearing knee 
pants. ' Now, sir, who do you think he looks 
like? ' ' Well, he may look a little like his father, 
but not much.' I see him again ; he is fifteen years 
old. Now he begins to look like his father. The 
next time I see him, he is twenty-one years old. 
He stands right up beside his father, and is just 
as tall as he. He has a mustache, and I see that 
he is the very image of his father. But it took 
twenty-one years to get there." 

So it is with the Christian life. When we were 
baptized we did not look much like God, but as 
the years go by, and we continue to climb this 
spiritual stairway, we become more and more like 
him, and eventually we shall see him as he is. 

VI. We come now to the sixth step in the 
STAIRWAY. This we call brotherly kindness. 
The new life which we find in Christ is necessarily 
a sonship. The soul that is born again finds 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 15 

itself bom into a family life, where it has duties 
to the father and to brothers. For these breth- 
ren we must have a holy concern. " If we do not 
love our brother whom we have seen, how can we 
love God whom we have not seen? " In times of 
persecution and temptation there are constant 
calls to brotherly helpfulness. This brotherly 
love can steady the feet that are sliding, and re- 
store the fallen in the spirit of meekness. In 
family life the brothers are considerate and help- 
ful one toward another. They stand by each 
other in time of peril ; they defend each other ; 
they carry one another's burdens. Each one is 
willing to sacrifice his own comfort for the com- 
fort of his brother. Each rejoices in the other's 
success, and each lifts the other when he falls. 
And in the brotherhood of the spiritual there 
should be the same mutual consideration and 
brotherly love. 

When it comes to the church, we find that it 
is impossible for disabilities, afflictions, or persecu- 
tions to come upon it without directly affecting 
certain individuals — those who have the church's 
best interest at heart. They bear the burden for 
the whole church, and, therefore, have a special 
claim upon the sympathy of their fellow mem- 
bers. Every member of the church ought to feel 
that he is a member in the great spiritual family, 
and that he is in duty bound to carry his part of 
the burden. This is an essential part of brotherly 
love. Many are too ready to say of the suffer- 



16 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

ing ones, " They are stricken, smitten of God and 
afflicted." We should keep ourselves closely knit 
with them in brotherly love. If there are some 
in bonds for Christ's sake, the others should have 
a fellow feeling. If there are some weeping, the 
others ought to weep with them ; if there are some 
laughing, the others ought to laugh with them; 
if a brother is hungry, feed him ; if a brother is 
thirsty, give him drink ; if he is naked, clothe him ; 
sick, visit him ; or in prison, go unto him. 

Along this very line somebody has said, " As the 
spokes of a carriage wheel approach the center, 
they approach each other; so also when men are 
brought to Jesus Christ, the center of life and 
hope, they are drawn toward each other in broth- 
erly relationship, and stand side by side journey- 
ing to our heavenly home." 

Not only should there be this brotherly feeling 
between members of the great spiritual family, 
but each Christian should feel deeply interested 
in every individual, whether saint or sinner. 
There should be in his heart a passion for souls, 
and he should feel that in a God-given sense all 
men are his brothers — that there is a universal 
kinship. Therefore, we should ever labor to bring 
help and gladness to others, and, in the words of 
Sam Walter Foss, be a " friend to man." 

" There are hermit souls who live withdrawn 

In a place of self-content; 
There are souls like stars that shine apart 

In a fellowless firmament. 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 17 

There are pioneer souls that blaze the path 

Where highway never ran; 
But let me live by the side of the road. 

And be a friend to man. 

" Let me live in my house by the side of the road. 

Where the race of men go by; 
The men who are good and the men who are bad. 

As good and as bad as I. 
And let me not sit in the cynic's seat, 

Nor hurl the cynic's ban; 
But let me live by the side of the road. 

And be a friend to man. 

" I see from my house by the side of the road, 

By the side of the highway of life. 
The men led on by the ardor of hope. 

The men who are faint with the strife. 
Then let me not scorn at their smiles or their 
tears, 

Both parts of an infinite plan; 
But let me live by the side of the road. 

And be a friend to man.'* 

VII. The last step in this stairway is 
LOVE. This step brings us right into the city of 
God. One of the greatest sentences the apostle 
Paul ever wrote is found in 1 Cor. 13 :13. " But 
now abideth faith, hope, love, these three ; and 
the greatest of these is love." Love is the great- 
est because God is love. Then love is the great- 
est because man believes, but God does not. 

When you look at love's wonderful record, you 



18 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

can better understand why Paul said it is the 
greatest. Every page of the Bible is a record of 
God's goodness and love. It was love that sent 
God walking in the garden in the cool of the even- 
ing, saying, " Where art thou.^ " When Israel 
forsakes God and goes into ways of unrighteous- 
ness, love is crying with a breaking heart for the 
wanderer's return. It was love that sent the 
Shunammite mother to Elisha, and love that sent 
the dear old father to the gates, saying, " O Absa- 
lom, my son, my son ! " Or the story of Jacob 
grieving for his children — it was love that 
brought forth the cry of his heart, " Me ye have 
bereft of my children. Joseph is not, Simon is 
not, and now you will take Benjamin from me." 
And when we turn from the New Testament, we 
discover that love dictated the parables, love 
worked the miracles, love dealt tenderly with the 
sinners, love sent the Saviour to the seashore in 
the early morning, love drove him to the cross, 
love sent him back to heaven, and love one day will 
bring him back to claim his own! And it is this 
spirit of love that must win in the church and in 
every relation. If we have it victory is sure. In- 
deed, love is that which leads on reformation in 
the life of the sinner, inspires the missionary, and 
without which we are as a clanging brass and an 
empty sound. 

" Had I the voice of Greeks and Jews, 
And nobler speech than angels use; 



STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 19 

Were I inspired to preach and tell 

All that is done in heaven and hell; 
Or were I to distribute all my store 

To feed the hungry, and clothe the poor. 
And give my body to the flame 

To gain a martyr's glorious name — 
If love be absent, still I'm found 

A clanging brass and an empty sound." 



II 

WHOSE SON IS HE? 

" Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus 
asked them a question, saying. What think ye of Christ? 
whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David." 
(Matt. 22:41, 42.) 

Here is a question that concerns the divinity 
of our Lord, and upon which our salvation from 
sin rests. Thus, in view of this fact, and that 
there is a tendency among many modern think- 
ers ( ?) to take away the divinity of our Lord, it 
behooves us to study whether Christ is the Son of 
God, as claimed; whether he is divine and has 
power to save the world. If he is not divine, he 
has not the power to save, and we are foolish to 
depend upon him. But, on the other hand, if he 
is divine he has power to save the world, and, 
therefore, it is the part of wisdom to put forth 
our strongest efforts to obey him. 

In order that we may decide whether Christ 
is the Son of God or not, whether he is false or 
true, let us make a careful study of some of the 
evidences found in the Word of God. We do not 
care to use any evidences outside of the Word of 
God for the reason that those found therein are 



WHOSE SON IS HE? 21 

authentic and trustworthy ! The Bible is supreme 
authority on every subject it touches, and is, 
therefore, the only source of evidence we need in 
the argument. 

The first evidence introduced is what may be 
called : 

I. Prophetic evidence. This prophetic 
evidence runs back as far as four thousand years 
before the Saviour was born, and embraces the 
prophecies relating to his progenitors, his nativ- 
ity, his childhood, his ministry, his character, his 
office, his suffering, his death, and his glorifica- 
tion. " I will put enmity between thee and the 
woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall 
bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel." 
(Gen. 3:5.) "In blessing I will bless thee, and 
in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars 
of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the 
seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gates of 
the enemies ; and in thy seed shall all the nations 
of the earth be blessed." (Gen. 22:17, 18.) "But 
thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little 
among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee 
shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler 
in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of 
old, from everlasting." (Mic. 5:1.) "And the 
Gentiles shall come to thy light, and the kings to 
the brightness of thy rising. All they from Sheba 
shall come ; they shall bring gold and incense ; 
and they shall show forth the praises of the 
Lord." (Isa. 60:3, 6.) "A voice was heard in 



22 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel 
weeping for her children refused to be comforted 
for her children, because they were not." (Jer. 
31:15.) "The people that walked in darkness 
have seen a great light; they that dwell in the 
land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the 
light shined." (Isa. 9:2.) "Then the eyes of 
the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf 
shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame leap as 
an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." (Isa. 
S5:5, 6.) "He shall grow up before him as a 
tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground, 
he hath no form nor comeliness ; and when we shall 
see him, there is no beauty that we should desire 
him." (Isa. 53:2.) "And many people shall go 
and say. Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain 
of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; 
and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in 
his paths ; for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, 
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Isa. 
2:3.) " The spirit of the Lord is upon me; be- 
cause the Lord hath anointed me to preach good 
tidings unto the meek ; he hath sent me to bind up 
the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the cap- 
tives and the opening of the prison to them that are 
bound." (Isa. 61:1.) " The Lord thy God will 
raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of 
thee, of thy brethren, like unto me: unto him ye 
shall hearken." (Deut. 18:15.) "I gave my 
back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that 
plucked off my hair: I hid not my face from 



WHOSE SON IS HE? ^3 

shame and spitting." (Isa. 50:6.) "He was 
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not 
his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaugh- 
ter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so 
he opened not his mouth." (Isa. 53:7.) " They 
pierced my hands and my feet." (Psalms 22:16.) 
" I became also a reproach unto them : when they 
looked upon me they shaked their heads." 
(Psalms 109 :9.) " They gave me also gall for my 
meat: and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to 
drink." (Psalms 69:21.) "He keepeth all his 
bones: not one of them is broken." (Psalms 
34:20.) "And he made his grave with the 
wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he 
had done no violence, neither was there any de- 
ceit found in his mouth." (Isa. 53:9.) "Lift 
up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lifted up, ye 
everlasting doors: and the King of glory shall 
come in." (Psalms 24:7.) 

These are only a few of the hundreds of prophe- 
cies that were uttered through the gift of super- 
human foresight. Indeed, the Old Testament con- 
tains a very large predictive element. A stream 
of prophecy runs through the Old Testament 
Scriptures. The Hebrew prophets ever looked 
forward to a grand future — to the time when 
there was a great leader, guide, prince and 
Saviour to appear, under whom the kingdom of 
God was to become universal. They saw that 
righteousness and blesing were to attend its prog- 
ress, and their insight into the plan of God has 



M STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

been verified in the events of subsequent ages, 
down to the present time. 

To make this part of the argument perfectly 
plain, let us suppose that here are five men stand- 
ing in a row. In the hand of each man there is 
placed a bow and one hundred arrows. Out yon- 
der in the darkness is a target. Neither man 
knows exactly where it is ; all that he knows is 
that somewhere in that space of inky darkness 
there is a target. The first man, endeavoring to 
hit the unseen target, stands fifteen hundred yards 
away and sends one hundred arrows out into the 
darkness. The second man advances five hundred 
yards and sends his one hundred arrows forward. 
Then the third man advances seven hundred yards 
and sends one hundred arrows forth. Next, the 
fourth man steps forward nine hundred yards and 
shoots the one hundred arrows that were given to 
him. The fifth man advances eleven hundred 
yards and tries his hand at the target. Each of 
the five men have shot one hundred arrows forward. 
In all, five hundred arrows have gone out in search 
of the unseen target. The darkness clears away, 
and lo and behold, there are five hundred arrows 
in the heart of the target ! Under such circum- 
stances, what would you say guided those ari'ows ; 
what power directed their course? There can be 
but one explanation ! They were guided by the 
hand of Almighty God! 

Coming to these prophetic arrows we find five 
hundred of them centered in Jesus Christ. These 



WHOSE SON IS HE? 25 

prophetic arrows were sent forth by Moses, David, 
Isaiah, Daniel, Malachi, and others of equal pow- 
ers. Standing at different stations, they sent 
their prophecies forward, and we find them ful- 
filled in Jesus Christ. In view of this, we neces- 
sarily conclude that the hand of God directed 
them. Therefore, to my mind these prophetic 
utterances are among the strongest evidences in 
support of the proposition that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of the living God ! 

II. Let us now turn our attention to the 

EVIDENCE FURNISHED BY THE ANGEL GaBRIEL. 

Bearing the incense in a large vessel of gold, 
Zacharias, the priest, entered into the Holy Place, 
and was kindling it on the Golden Altar, when he 
was accosted by an angel standing at the right 
of the Altar. At the sight of the angel he was 
very much frightened. But the angel calmed his 
fears, and announced that the prayers he had of- 
fered to God in secret had been heard. Though 
Elizabeth was stricken in years, she should yet be- 
come the mother of a son who was to be named 
John, and who would be the immediate forerun- 
ner of the long expected Messiah, and make ready 
the people prepared for him. 

Six months after his appearance to Zacharias 
in the Temple, the same angel was sent from God 
to Nazareth. At this village lived a lowly virgin 
named Mary. To this lowly virgin the angel 
Gabriel now appeared and announced that by vir- 
tue of the operation of the Holy Ghost she should 



26 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

become the mother of a Son, whom she was to call 
Jesus, He should be great, and should be called 
the Son of the Highest, and should sit on the 
throne of Ms father David, and reign over the 
house of Jacob forever. Though at first startled 
at the sudden address of an angelic messenger, 
she received his announcement with implicit faith, 
and prayed that it might be according to his word. 
in. Next we notice the testimony of the 
ANGELS, Simeon, Anna, and the magi. On the 
bleak downs of Bethlehem shepherds were keeping 
watch over their flocks, when suddenly there came 
upon them a light brighter than the brightest of 
the countless stars that spangled the midnight 
sky, and the glory of the Lord shone round about 
them. (Luke 2:9.) Sore afraid, they would 
have fled in dismay. But a voice came to them 
and announced the glad tidings that in the city 
of David had been born to them a Saviour, even 
Christ the Lord, whom they would find wrapped 
in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. 
(Luke 2:11, 12.) The angel ceased speaking, 
and then a multitude of the heavenly host brake 
the silence of the night, and sang, " Glory to God 
in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will to- 
wards men.'' Such an announcement roused all 
the wonder of the simple, humble men who heard 
it. Hastily leaving their flocks, they repaired to 
Bethlehem, where they found the babe lying in the 
manger, and recounted all that they had heard 
from the heavenly visitants concerning the child. 



WHOSE SON IS HE? ^7 

Great was the astonishment of those who listened 
to their tale; but the holy mother kept all their 
words in her heart, and the shepherds returned to 
their lowly occupation, glorifying and praising 
God for all they had seen and heard. (Luke 
2:16-20.) 

At this time there was living at Jerusalem a 
just and devout man named Simeon. Though far 
advanced in years, he had received divine intima- 
tion that he should not see death till his eyes had 
rested on the Lord's Christ. He was present 
when the parents of Jesus brought in the child 
to do for him after the custonn of the LaWy and 
no sooner did his eyes fall upon the child than he 
saw that the Messiah had come. He took him up 
in his arms, and blessed God that his eyes had 
been permitted to see his salvation, the light to 
lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people 
Israel. (Luke 2:38.) At the same time there 
came forward an aged woman, a prophetess, whose 
name was Anna. She too drew near while the 
holy child was being brought into his Father's 
house, and, like the aged Simeon, gave thanks to 
Gody and spake of hvm to all those that were look- 
ing for the redemption in Jerusalem. (Luke 
2:38.) 

But as she was thus proclaiming to the faith- 
ful in the Holy City the advent of their King, pil- 
grims and worshippers were drawing near from 
far different and far distant lands. These 
strange travelers were the magi, who declared that 



28 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

they had seen Ms star in the east, and had come 
to worship him. By this time the babe had been 
taken to a house, and with great joy they entered 
the house, and gave gifts of gold, frankincense, 
airid myrrh, 

IV. In the fourth place let us notice the 
TESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLE Peter. From Beth- 
saida, in company with his apostles, Jesus set out 
in a northerly direction, and traveling along the 
eastern banks of the Jordan and beyond the wa- 
ters of Meron, reached the confines of the villages 
of Cassarea Philippi. In this neighborhood, on 
one occasion, the apostles found their Master en- 
gaged in solitary prayer, a solemn and significant 
action, the precursor of not a few important 
events, as now of a deeply momentous revelation. 
For as they resumed their journey, he addressed 
to them the formal inquiry, " Whom, do men say 
that I am? " 

Thinkers have long since agreed that this was 
not an ordinary question. He was speaking to 
those who had now for some time been his con- 
stant companions, hearers of his words, and eye- 
witnesses of the signs which accompanied them. 
He seems to have wished to ascertain from their 
own lips the results of those labors, which now, in 
one sense, were drawing to a close, and thence to 
pass on to other and more painful truths which 
he had to communicate to them. To this inquiry, 
then, the apostles replied in words that reflected 
the various opinions then held amongst the peo- 



WHOSE SON IS HE? 29 

pie. They informed him that some said that he 
was John the Baptist, others Elias, others Jere- 
mias, or one of the prophets. But the Master put 
the question direct to them: " Whom do ye say 
that I am? '* To this Peter replied, " Thou art 
the Christ the Son of the living God.'' (Matt. 
16:16.) 

V. We consider in the last place the tes- 
timony or THE Father. With three of the most 
privileged of his disciples Jesus retired to one of 
the numerous mountain-ranges in the neighbor- 
hood, not improbably on the summits of Hermon. 
From what Luke has written we infer that one 
reason for his withdrawal was that he might en- 
gage in solitary prayer. (Luke 9:28.) And 
that the apostles were wearied and oppressed by 
sleep, we infer that evening was the time of this 
retirement of the Holy One, the close, it may be, 
of a long day spent in going about doing good. 
While, then, they slept and he continued engaged 
in prayer, a marvelous change came over his per- 
son. (Luke 9:29.) His raiment suddenly be- 
came shining, exceedingly white as snow, and the 
fashion also of his countenance was altered and 
shone like the sun. (Mark 9:3; Luke 9:29.) 

Roused at length by the supernatural bright- 
ness around them, the chosen three awoke, and 
shaking off their slumbers, perceived not only the 
mysterious change that had come over their Mas- 
ter, but that he was no longer alone ! There were 
with him Moses and Elias. Nor did they only 



30 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

see their transfigured Lord attended by these 
strange visitants from the unseen and unknown 
world, but they were privileged to hear their con- 
versation, the subject of which was relative to his 
death at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:31.) 

In the excitement of these moments the impul- 
sive Peter would have made three tabernacles, one 
for Moses, and one for Elias, and one for his 
Lord. But this was not to be ! While he was yet 
speaking there came a Voice from heaven, saying, 
*' This is my beloved Son, hear ye him! " This 
was the Father's testimony. Did he acknowledge 
one not his Son? Do you think that God would 
leave a false impression on the minds of those 
apostles and upon the hearts of millions who have 
lived and died since then? God said, " This is 
my beloved Son." God carniot lie. Therefore, 
he is God's son, and the Saviour of the world! 



in 

GOD AND THE SINNER 

The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that 
all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9). 

God has always been a friend to the sinner, and 
has made it possible for him to turn and live. He 
is not willing that any should perish. In his 
great wisdom and power he stretches opportunity 
of repentance to its utmost limit. He does not 
desire that any, yea, even the scoffers, should per- 
ish. He gives warning after warning, until the 
utter hopelessness of any further warning is made 
quite plain, and the cup of self-willedness and 
iniquity is quite full. Of course, God cannot save 
the sinner if he will not repent ; it is impossible. 
Sin means condemnation, and if man will go on in 
sin he will be everlastingly lost. That it is not 
God's will that any should perish is proved by 
what he has done to save him — the provisions of 
salvation. 

He has thrown about him innuTnerable Chris- 
tianizing influences. 

I. The greatest influence that God 

USES TO SAVE THE SINNER IS THE HOLY BiBLE. 

Our own Herbert Moninger, in writing of the 

31 



32 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

Bible's influence upon the world, said, " Wherever 
the Bible has gone it has sweetened the home, ex- 
alted womanhood, sanctified the cradle and re- 
deemed man." Indeed, were it not for the sacred 
influence of the Bible, womanhood would be no 
more than " slavehood " 1 President Angell tells 
us that it is simply striking to note the position 
accorded to women in non-christian countries ! 
Often, as he contemplated the wretched lot of 
women in Asia, did the pathetic words in which 
Goethe makes Ephignia pour forth her pathetic 
plaint spring to his lips : " ' The condition of 
woman is lamentable.' Those words might be in- 
scribed as an appropriate inscription on the gates 
of cities and on the door-posts of the houses in 
the eastern world. Woman is doomed in igno- 
rance. She is the slave and drudge of man. Her 
mind is not deemed worthy of cultivation. I 
know nothing in all the East so painful to the 
view of men from a Christian land as the condition 
of woman." It is only where the Bible has gone 
that woman is recognized as a companion of man, 
and the only difference between the women of 
America, and those in China, India, Africa, and 
other heathen countries is that which the Bible 
makes. Take the Bible away and the women of 
America would be loved and respected to no higher 
degree than the women in darkest China ! It puri- 
fies nations and saves them from eternal ruin ! Not 
only is this true of nations ; it is true of the indi- 
vidual. He does not get very far on the way from 



GOD AND THE SINNER 33 

God before he is confronted by the influence of 
the Word of God. With its warnings, with its in- 
vitations, with its pictures of God and his love, it 
stands as a great influence for good. A single 
verse of its sacred contents has frequently turned 
the sinner from the error of his way. Hundreds 
of men have been turned to God by " The wages 
of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life 
through Jesus Christ our Lord." This precious 
Old Book influences and leads sinners from dark- 
ness to light ; from death to life, and from Satan 
to God! Therefore, 

" This holy Book I'd rather own 
Than all the gold and gems 
That e'er in monarchs' coffers shone, 
Than all their diadems. 

" Nay, were the seas one chrysolite. 
The earth one golden ball. 
And diamonds all the stars at night. 
This Book were worth them all. 

" Ah no ! The soul ne'er found relief 
In glittering bands of wealth. 
Gems dazzle not the eye of grief; 
Gold cannot purchase health. 

" But here a blessed balm appears 
To heal the deepest woe; 
And those who read this Book in tears. 
Their tears will cease to flow." 



34 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

II. Another influence that God has 

THROWN AROUND THE SINNER TO SAVE HIM IS THE 
INFLUENCE OF A CHRISTIAN MOTHER. Asidc frOHl 

the Bible, there is no power in the world so potent 
for good as a Christian mother's influence. The 
mother has an influence over the child's early life 
that none but a mother can have. A Scottish 
proverb that is frequently quoted says, " An ounce 
of mother is worth a pound of clergy," and it is 
true. In this great world of opportunity there 
are many callings in which a woman can make her 
life count for much towards making the world 
happier, better, and more Christlike. She may 
teach school, she may write books, she may go to 
the mission fields and do errands of mercy, but 
she can make her life count for most in the home ! 
Her influence in the home is mightier than swords 
in shaping the destiny of nations. In the home 
worthy men and women are trained for the world's 
needs. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, led the 
child to the Lord. John the Baptist had a noble 
mother in Elizabeth. There was only one person 
on earth that Napoleon obeyed, and that was his 
mother. One time he was asked what he consid- 
ered the greatest need of France and his answer 
was, " What France needs is more good mothers." 
Brandt said, " The first twenty years of my life 
were spent in the presence of a Christian mother, 
and her influence has always been before me, as a 
restraint from doing wrong, and to help to en- 
courage me in doing right." Through life the 



GOD AND THE SINNER 35 

influence of a Christian mother is a benediction to 
any individual. And one might as well try to blot 
out the sun as to try to blot out the influence of 
a Christian mother. It is to be treasured and 
cherished as one of the richest and rarest bless- 
ings ! 

III. In the next place God has thrown 

THE INFLUENCE OF KINDNESS ABOUT THE SINNER 

TO SAVE HIM. Mrs. Hedgemau said, " I expect 
to pass through this life but once. If, therefore, 
there be any kindness I can show, or any good 
thing that I can do to any fellow being, let me do 
it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall 
not pass this way again." And Faber has well 
said, " Kindness has converted more sinners than 
either zeal, eloquence or learning." 

Once I read a story w^hich impressed me more 
deeply than any I ever read along this same line. 
A Christian lady, as I recall the story, was stand- 
ing in a window that opened on Bleecher Street, 
New York, A degraded drunkard came down the 
street. He had been mayor of a southern city, 
but had gone to ruin through drink. He was an 
outcast. He had made up his mind to commit 
suicide. He started to the river, and as he walked 
down Bleecher Street, he turned into a public 
house and asked for another drink. Then he told 
the bar-keeper that he had no money to pay for 
it, and he came around from behind the bar and 
kicked him out into the gutter. The Christian 
woman, loking out of the window, saw the poor 



86 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

wretch picking himself up out of the gutter, 
crossed over and wiped the mud off his face with 
her handkerchief, and then said to him, '' Come 
over here. It is warm, and you will be welcome." 
He went over and sat down behind the stove. His 
heart was touched. The spark of humanity was 
fanned into a flame, and he rose to real manhood 
once more. Finally he was made manager of one 
of the largest publishing houses in New York City. 
One day he came to the lady who had shown him 
the kindness and said, " I have some friends down 
at the hotel. I want you to meet them." She 
went with him to the hotel, and he introduced her 
to his wife and daughter. They were refined, 
cultured ladies whom he had left and gone far on 
the road of sin. Kindness saved him ! 



" Do a kindness, do it well ; 
Angels will the story tell. 

" Do a kindness, tell it not; 
Angels' hands will mark the spot. 

" Do a kindness, though 'tis small; 
Angel voices sing it all. 

" Do a kindness, never mind; 
What you lose the angels find. 

" Do a kindness, do it now; 
Angels know it all somehow. 



GOD AND THE SINNER 37 

" Do a kindness any time; 
Angels weave it into a rhyme. 

" Do a kindness^ it will pay; 
Angels will rejoice that day. 

" Kindly deeds and thoughts and words 
Bless the world like songs and birds." 

IV. The influence of the cross is another 

INFLUENCE THAT GOD IS USING TO SAVE THE SIN- 
NER. It is by the cross that Jesus draws men 
unto himself. Men are saved by the cross, for here 
the eternal sacrifice was made. To save is its 
power and mission. 

Jesus said : " And I, if I be lifted up from the 
earth, will draw all men unto me." He was lifted 
upon the cross. It may be that there are hun- 
dreds of people who are slow to see the truth of 
the statement, but from that cross the drawing 
power of his dying love has raised literally thou- 
sands of lives from the mire of sin. A backward 
look over more than nineteen hundred years brings 
the multitude of sinners to the cross on which their 
Saviour is dying. They gather around it. On 
that cross hangs a man, the Son of God. On that 
cross hangs Jesus of Nazareth. On that cross 
hangs the best friend they ever had. They look 
upon the wounds and stripes. They behold the 
mock crown, and are shocked at the thrusting of 
the Roman spear into the Saviour's heart, and the 



38 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

stream of mingled blood and water that gushed 
forth. They shudder at the driving of the iron 
spikes through his hands and feet. They watch 
him bear the excruciating pain, and deep down in 
their hearts a still small voice reiterates the words 
of the prophet, " He was despised ; and we es- 
teemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs 
and carried our sorrows ; yet we did esteem him 
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he 
was wounded for our transgressions, he was 
bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our 
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are 
healed. All we like sheep have gone astray ; we 
have turned everyone to his own way; and Jeho- 
vah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He 
was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened 
not his mouth ; as a lamb that is led to the slaugh- 
ter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, 
so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and 
judgment he was taken away; and as for his gen- 
eration, who among them considered that he was 
cut off out of the land of the living for the trans- 
gressions of my people to whom the stroke was 
due. And they made his grave with the wicked, 
and with the rich man in his death; although he 
had done no violence, neither was there any deceit 
found in his mouth. Yet it pleased Jehovah to 
bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou 
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see 
his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleas- 
ure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. He 



GOD AND THE SINNER 39 

shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satis- 
fied: by the knowledge of himself shall my right- 
eous servant justify many; and he shall bear their 
iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion 
with the great and he shall divide the spoil with 
the strong; because he hath poured out his soul 
unto death, and was numbered with transgressors : 
Yet he bare the sins of many, and made interces- 
sion for the transgressors." 

" Lord, as to thy dear cross we flee 
And pray to be forgiven. 
So let thy life our pattern be, 
And form our souls for heaven." 

V. His LOVE IS ANOTHER INFLUENCE THAT GoD 
IS USING TO SAVE THE SINNER. " FoT God SO loved 

the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, 
but have eternal life." (John 3:16.) In this 
verse God's love is revealed as the eternal spring 
of redemption. The world must understand that 
it was not from an unwilling God that mercy was 
won for perishing men. He is himself the source 
of all the mercy and goodness and love that has 
been showered on men, sinful as they were, through 
the long course of history. More than this : 
when man was lost God sent his only begotten Son. 
And the reception and the blessing of this heavenly 
gift is assured to those who believe. And those 
who thus receive Christ and his salvation are led 
ever more joyfully to understand the mystery of 



40 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

divine love — to realize that he sent his Son into 
the world to bless and save it. 

To measure God's love is beyond human possi- 
bility ! The world itself could not hold the vol- 
ume that measures his love. It is far beyond our 
slightest conception, and the only thing that poor, 
weak souls can do is to reiterate the words of the 
poet : 

** Could we with ink the ocean fill, 

And were the skies of parchment made ; 

Were every stem on earth a quill^ 
And every man a scribe by trade. 

To write the love of God would the ocean dry, 
Nor would the scroll contain the whole, 

Though stretched from earth to sky." 



IV 

THE HOME OF THE SOUL 

" I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and pre- 
pare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive 
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." 
(John 14:2-3). 

These words of Jesus, uttered just before he 
went to Gethsemane and the cross, contained those 
promises which divine wisdom saw that the disci- 
ples needed. They were soon to be left alone, and 
to go out into an hostile and ungrateful world to 
proclaim his message. Sorrow, hardship, perse- 
cution, toil, and unjust treatment of all kinds, 
from Jew and Gentile, awaited them. They were 
to journey from land to land, among alien people 
and strange scenes and circumstances. The sense 
of their loneliness was well-nigh breaking their 
hearts. Therefore, this sweet and tender promise 
was given to them. They knew that they could 
have on earth no abiding city, but, having this 
promise, they looked confidently for one in the fu- 
ture. Not only was this promise given to the few 
disciples who gathered at the Master's side when 
he made it — it holds good for all God's people in 

all ages and climes. 

41 



4£ STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

Yet, with these promises there is a disposition 
on the part of some to explain away the teaching 
concerning the heavenly world. They claim that 
it is a matter of speculative theology, and that 
we can have no certain knowledge concerning it. 
Hence we are driven to ask : 

I. Is THERE A HOME FOB, THE SOUL? Are WC 

put in this world for a few years, and then lie 
down, only food for grave-worms — having no 
abiding place in a better, higher, brighter and 
happier world? Did God create us in vain? 

In support of the proposition that there is a 
home for the soul, we cite the ground on which 
Jesus rests the reality and assurance of the heav- 
enly world. It is on the fact of his own divine 
personality ! He says, ** // it were not so I would 
have told you."^ This truth was the strongest ar- 
gument he could present to the minds of his dis- 
ciples. They knew him ! The course of his life 
was before them, and they Icnew that he would not 
fill their hearts with delusive hopes if these things 
were not true. For three years and a half they 
had followed him. They had seen his wonderful 
life and the mighty works which he did. They 
had listened to his voice teaching profound les- 
sons, and had seen the spotless beauty of his char- 
acter, and had felt the power of his love a thou- 
sand times ! Therefore, his " ij it were not 5o, / 
would have told you " came to them with the force 
of a perfect demonstration! Then should such 
considerations have less weight with us? Should 



THE HOME OF THE SOUL 43 

thej mean less to us than to the immediate disci- 
ples to whom Jesus uttered them? Most assur- 
edly, no ! 

Further testimony in support of the proposi- 
tion that there is a home for the soul is found in 
the words of the Master: "Lay up for your- 
selves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust 
doth not corrupt, and where thieves do not break 
through and steal." He talked much about 
heaven, and rejoiced that he would soon return 
there. " If ye love me," he said to his disciples, 
" ye would rejoice because I go to my Father." On 
other occasions he declared that there was such a 
place as heaven — that there is a home for the 
soul. Did he tell a falsehood? Did he tell that 
which he knew to be untrue? Did he leave this 
earth with an untruth on his lips and a false mes- 
sage ringing in the ears of those disciples ? Would 
it not be sacrilegious to even think so? 

And still further evidence is found in the testi- 
mony of the apostle Paul. He saw heaven ! He 
was caught up, not into the first or second heaven, 
but into the third heaven — the home of the soul I 
There he saw things not lawful for him to men- 
tion. His testimony is seen in the following lan- 
guage. " I know a man in Christ, fourteen years 
ago (whether in the body I know not, or whether 
out of the body, I know not; God knoweth), such 
a one was caught up even to the third heaven." 
Who was this man? No Bible student thinks for 
a moment that it was any other than the apostle 



U STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

Paul himself. This is an acknowledged fact 
among all scholars who have looked closely into 
the matter. Their decisions are the same. Thus 
we have, on record, the evidence of an eye-witness. 

Another eye-witness is found in the person of 
John, the beloved disciple of the Lord. He, too, 
saw heaven. " I saw the holy city, new Jerusa- 
lem, coming down out of heaven from God, made 
ready as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 
21:1,2.) 

Indeed, if language has any meaning, the Word 
of God teaches that there is a home for the soul, 
and that it is a place — a fixed locality — just as 
any other place is a fixed locality 1 Is not this 
the natural conclusion that grows out of the fol- 
lowing Scriptures ? " And there was war in 
heaven ; Michael and his angels going forth to war 
with the dragon; and the dragon warred, and his 
angels, and they prevailed not, neither was their 
place found any more in heaven." (Rev. 12:7, 
8.) "Lift up your heads, O ye gates: even lift 
them up, ye everlasting doors ; and let the King of 
glory in." (Psalms 24:7.) This passage from 
the Psalms is a prophecy pointing to the entrance 
of Christ into heaven. " I go to prepare a place 
for you." These are only a few of many Scrip- 
tures that point to the home of the soul as a place. 

In view of the teaching of God's Word, can we 
doubt that there is a home for the soul? Can we 
think that there is no abiding place beyond.'' 
Most assuredly 



THE HOME OF THE SOUL 45 

" there's a home of eternal delight. 
Where the smiles on the faces of Christians are 

bright, 
Where the angels of beauty, immortally bright, 
Are floating forever on pinions of white." 

H. In the second place let us investigate 

TO FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF A PLACE IT IS. 

(1) It is a place that is made glad by the very 
presence of our blessed Saviour. He said, " Where 
I am, there ye may be also." What myriads of 
souls have been cheered by these words since they 
were first uttered ! In our Father's house it will 
not be the associations of mighty angels, the water 
of life, the tree of life, the jasper walls, or the 
pearly gates that will make us supremely happy. 
But we will be transcendently glad when we shall 
see our Lord. To be in heaven is to talk with 
Jesus about the hidden mysteries, sit at his feet 
and know him as he is. Yes, the Lamb of God is 
there! Stephen said, "Behold I see the heavens 
opened and the Son of Man standing on the right 
hand of God." 

" How know I that it looms lovely, that land I have 

never seen. 
When morning-glories and heartsease and unexampled 

green, 
With neither heat nor cold in the balm-redolent air? 
Some of this, not all, I know ; but this is so : 
Christ IS there ! 

" How know I blessedness befalls who dwell in Para- 
dise, 



46 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

The outwearied hearts refreshing, rekindling the 

worn-out eyes ; 
All souls singing, seeing, rejoicing everywhere? 
Nay, much more than this I know; for this is so: 
Christ IS there! 

" O Lord Christ, whom having not seen I love and 

desire to love, 
O Lord Christ, who lookest on me uncomely yet still 

thy dove. 
Take me to thee in Paradise, thine own made fair; 
For whatever else I know, this thing is so: 
Thou art there ! " 

Then we shall see his face. There are many 
faces in heaven we shall be glad to see — the face 
of Moses, the face of Joshua, the face of David, the 
sweet singer of Israel, of Peter, and other great 
souls who devoted their lives unto him who 
searches the hearts of all men, and confers all 
needful wisdom and strength. I long to see the 
faces of friends and loved ones. I saw these faces 
as they glowed with health; saw them fade away 
in the pallor of death, and it will be a great day in 
my life when I shall see them again, but the great- 
est joy will be to look upon the face of Jesus. 

" There is a face at heaven's gate, 

A face I long to see. 
Lingering by the jasper walls, 

And waiting there for me. 

" There is a face at heaven's gate. 
With smile divine and kind 



THE HOME OF THE SOUL 47 

For one who in this stormy world 
Is left awhile behind. 

** There is a face at heaven's gate, 

It cheers me on my way. 
And is that morning star that shines 

Before the wake of day." 

(2) It is a place of safety, rest and peace. 
Here his people are safe. They are shielded from 
all danger as lambs in the fold. In the Father's 
house, they are eternally safe. " I give unto them 
eternal life ; and they shall never perish, and no 
one shall snatch them out of my hand. My 
Father, who hath given them unto me, is greater 
than all ; and no one is able to snatch them out of 
the Father's hand." (John 10:^8, 29.) At the 
close of life's day, thither the weary Christian di- 
rects his steps ! A royal welcome awaits him, and 
he gains rest from life's toil. It is no place by 
the wayside where our desires are satisfied for only 
a moment, but an house of many abiding places. 
It is here that the voyager rests from the fights 
with contrary gales. Here the Christian soldier 
rests from all conflicts with sin and every enemy of 
the soul! 

(3) Then heaven is a place where the inhabi- 
tants are like little children. When the Master 
wanted to make a supreme comparison, he took a 
little child in his arms and said, " Of such is the 
kingdom of heaven." And again, " Jesus called 
a little child unto him, and set it in the midst of 



48 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye 
be converted, and become as little children, ye shall 
not enter into the kingdom of heaven." 

Lincoln, Garfield, Beecher and Moody were all 
lovers of children, and it is said that Charles Dick- 
ens wrote the following lines and put them in an 
envelope to be read after he was dead. 

" Children — they are idols of hearts and of house- 
holds, 
They are angels of God in disguise^ 
His sunshine still sleeps in their tresses, 
His glory still beams in their eyes. 

Oh! Those shouts from home and from heaven! 
They have made me more manly and mild, 
And I know how Jesus could liken 
The kingdom of God to a child.' 

(4) Again, it is a place of love and joy. You 
are not to think that it is a place merely that is 
dear. It is because those whom we love dwell 
there. Here love binds every soul as one. Self- 
ishness is forever banished. They are all glad in 
each other's joy. There is no place where love 
gains greater triumphs, where it shows more 
plainly its power. There it beareth all things. 
And remember that where love reigns, there is the 
purest and most lasting joy! In heaven "love 
never f aileth " ; and thus there is endless joy! 
These are some of the features of our Father's 
house — the home of the soul ! But when all is 



THE HOME OF THE SOUL 49 

said, how feeble and dim are our conceptions of its 
eternal glory ! 

in. In the last place — shall we know 
EACH OTHER THERE? There are many questions 
of great interest that confront us, but this is the 
most interesting, and one upon which there is 
much prayerful and sacred thinking. Why should 
it not be an interesting subject? There is no 
question that has power to stir our hearts more 
deeply than this. It fills our souls with deepest 
emotion. Where are our friends whom we carried 
out yonder and buried in a bank of flowers on the 
hillside? Shall we see them again no more for- 
ever? Are they lost to view forever? Shall we 
meet them again? Was our parting eternal? In 
the light of all this, could there be a topic of more 
absorbing interest? 

In answer to this question, it may be remarked 
in the first place that: 

(1) Our life beyond will he perfected. "Now 
we see in a glass, obscurely ; but then shall I know 
fully even as also I was fully known." (1 Cor. 
13:12.) And we know that we shall be like him 
even when the manifestation of the invisible takes 
place. " Beloved, now are we the children of God, 
and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. 
We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall 
be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 
John 3:2.) From this passage we learn that 
Christ's people shall be made perfect in him and in 
the Father. Now then, perfection does not mean 



50 STEPS tJNTO HEAVEN 

a loss of personality, for if our personality were 
destroyed, it would not be we who were perfected. 
Indeed, it is the personality which distinguishes 
every man as an individual. Therefore, we should 
look for the perfection of our personality rather 
than its extinction. Then clearer knowledge will 
mark the perfected man. " We shall linow as we 
are known." The obscurity of the present will 
merge in perfect day. Things shall be seen and 
known as they really are, and not as they seem. 
Also, memory, on which personality so much de- 
pends, will be perfected. The Saviour remembers 
his own, and his own remember his atoning work, 
and in heaven they will praise him " who hath re- 
deemed them with his blood." Too, they will re- 
member their fellow pilgrims, and " know them 
when they meet." And as they are all united in 
Christ in love, sympathy and knowledge, so will 
they be united one with the other. 

Now, having noticed some of the things essential 
to the perfected life : 

(2) Let us consider more specifically what the 
Scriptures teach concerning future recognition. 
You recall that David's child was sick, and that he 
was simply distracted with grief. He could 
neither sleep nor eat, and all the elegance of his 
surroundings could not drive the shadow from his 
heart. Seven long days and still longer nights 
passed, and the child died. He hears the servants 
whispering and asks, " Is the child dead? " Their 
answer is, " Yes." Upon receiving this reply he 



THE HOME OF THE SOUL 51 

throws off, to a certain extent, his grief. What 
calmed the waves of sorrow that rolled across his 
bosom? What unseen power lifted up his spirit? 
It was the thought that he expressed when he ex- 
claimed, " I shall go to him, but he cannot come 
to me." Was this a false hope that David's heart 
cherished? Was it an idle dream of his? Not 
so ! Some say, however, that this is not saying 
that he would know the child. Poor consolation, 
do you not think, if this were not true? Do you 
not think that the same power that made him know 
that he could go to the child could make him rec- 
ognize it in another world? 

Another passage in the Old Testament which 
indicates this doctrine is, " Abraham died and was 
gathered to his people." The Old Testament is 
full of such expressions. Do you fail to see that 
Abraham was gathered to his people in conscious 
fellowship? If this passage teaches anything, it 
teaches that he went to join his people in, as I have 
said, a conscious fellowship ! 

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and 
Elijah appeared talking with Jesus. And al- 
though they had been dead for centuries, Peter, 
James and John knew them. How they were able 
to know them we are not told, but the fact remains 
unchallenged that Moses and Elijah were recog- 
nized centuries after death — after they had 
passed into the future world! 

Jesus at the grave of Lazarus said to Martha, 
" Thy brother shall live again." " I know he 



52 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

shall rise again in the resurrection," she answered. 
The Saviour did not object to her believing this, 
but can you see how this would comfort her sad 
heart if she would not know him? If she could 
not recognize him, how would she know that he 
had risen? 

The Bible teaches plainly that the angels know 
each other. They have names by which they are 
distinguished. Does not this imply recognition? 
We are to be higher than they, and shall we be 
more incapable of recognizing each other than 
they ? Most assuredly not ! 

We recognize each other here, and the Bible is 
full of teaching that we shall know each other bet- 
ter. " Now we see through a glass, obscurely, but 
then face to face." Hence the hymn runs, " We 
shall know each other better, when the mists have 
cleared away." Did not the rich man recognize 
Lazarus ? Did not Abraham say, " Remember 
thou hadst thy good things " while you were on the 
earth? Did Jesus wish to teach a falsehood by 
this parable ? I, for one, do not think so ! One 
who reads the New Testament carefully cannot 
but see that everywhere it is full of the doctrine 
of future recognition. 

Then again, future recognition seems necessary 
in order that we may enjoy heaven to the fullest 
extent. If heaven is filled with faces we cannot 
recognize, it will be a lonely place ! We could not 
enjoy it to the fullest extent among strangers. 

Somebody has said that future recognition 



THE HOME OF THE SOUL 53 

seems necessary to take away the individual's em- 
barrassment when he enters heaven. But why be 
embarrassed? It seems to me that we would be 
embarrassed to feel that we had received a reward 
of which we were unworthy, and for which we paid 
but little ! 

To carry this thought a little further it may 
be remarked that one after another falls by our 
side, and we are left to finish the journey alone. 
Yet we do not cease to love them and to long for 
them. We love them very fondly, and put the 
question, " Is love of the Lamb so jealous and so 
strong as to absorb and consume all meaner pas- 
sions, leaving no room for any but one affection ? " 
The answer can be discovered only by putting an- 
other question. " Do we find that our love for 
Christ weakens our love for those who love him.? " 
Do you think that those who love one another be- 
fore they confess Christ love one another less after 
confessing him? Not so. It is emphatically the 
opposite. This love for Christ includes all that 
are in him. 

" He who, being bold 
For life to come, is false to the past sweet 
Of mortal life hath killed the world above. 
For why to live again, if not to meet? 
And why to meet, if not to meet in love? 
And why in love, if not in that dear love of old? " 



THE NEW TESTAMENT GOSPEL 

" For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power 
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." (Rom. 
1:16). 

The word " gospel " means " good news " and is 
applied to the message containing the glad tid- 
ings of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son 
of God. This truth is very strongly set forth in 
the message of the angel, and also in the language 
of the Saviour. " And an angel of the Lord 
stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone 
round about them : and they were sore afraid ; and 
the angel said. Fear not, for behold, I bring you 
good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the 
people." (Luke 2:9, 10.) And then again the 
Saviour said, " The spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
because he hath anointed me to preach the good 
tidings to the poor." (Luke 4:18.) 

A careful study of the gospel reveals the fact 

that God was centuries unfolding it ; only little at 

a time was made known, and this in different ages 

and in different ways. " God, having of old time 

spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers 

persons and in divers manners, hath at the end of 

54 



THE NEW TESTAMENT GOSPEL 55 

those days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he 
hath appointed heir of all things." (Heb. 1 :1, 2.) 
To those who lived during the patriarchal age the 
gospel was preached in promise. " And the scrip- 
tures, foreseeing that God would justify the Gen- 
tiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto 
Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be 
blessed." (Gal. 3:9.) Then as we study the 
Jewish institutions we cannot fail to see that in 
them we have the gospel plan foreshadowed in 
type. This is brought out very clearly in Heb. 
10:1-10. In the prophetic age the coming of the 
Saviour and the establishment of the New Testa- 
ment gospel was presented in prophecy, and still 
later we find it in prospect. The latter brings us 
to the time when John the Baptist was preparing 
the way of the Lord, and to the personal ministry 
of Jesus himself. " In the days of Herod the 
king, behold wise men from the east came to Je- 
rusalem, saying. Where is he that is born King of 
the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, 
and are come to worship him." (Matt. 2:1, 2.) 
John the Baptist had done his work and had been 
delivered up to those who were to end his life. 
Upon receiving the news of John's arrest Jesus 
began to preach, " Repent ye ; for the kingdom of 
heaven is at hand." (Matt. 4:17.) In the next 
stage of the gospel's development we find it 
preached in its fullness. This was after the 
death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and corona- 
tion of Jesus, and the descent of the Holy Spirit. 



56 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

" Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is 
come upon you, and ye shall be my witnesses both 
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and 
unto the uttermost parts of the earth." (Acts 
1:8.) 

Then the command was given to preach the gos- 
pel to every creature. " And he said unto them. 
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to 
the whole creation. He that believeth and is bap- 
tized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall 
be condemned." (Mark 16:15, 16.) In obedi- 
ence to this command, they went everywhere carry- 
ing with them the message that had been com- 
mitted to their care. This is the message of 
which Paul spoke when he uttered the words of the 
text, " I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the 
power of God unto salvation to every one that 
believeth." At the time Paul uttered these words 
Christ and his followers were spoken of with de- 
rision. The early Christians were spoken of as 
" a sect everywhere spoken against." But not- 
withstanding this was true, Paul was anxious to 
visit Rome that he might preach the gospel of the 
Son of God. At this time Rome ruled the world. 
Yet the apostle says, " I am ready to preach the 
gospel to you that are at Rome also." He was 
ready to preach this gospel because he was not 
ashamed of it. When Paul stood up and de- 
clared that he was not ashamed of the gospel he 
made one of the bravest utterances that ever fell 
from the lips of man! He knew that that very 



THE NEW TESTAMENT GOSPEL 57 

statement might cost him his life. He knew the 
circumstances with which he had to cope, and fully 
determined that all forces opposed to him must 
yield. And to the contest he went without a 
doubt. He was not ashamed of the gospel : 

I. Because it is the power of God. The 
greatest word in the Roman's vocabulary was 
power! So in order to appeal to the Romans with 
the strongest force possible, he tells them that the 
gospel is power! Of course, you understand that 
power is of different kinds, among which may be 
mentioned material force, common both to brutes 
and men ; mental force — the power to form ideas, 
or in other words, the power to reason. And then 
there is spiritual force or power. This power is 
one that we cannot fully understand. As Christ 
said to Nicodemus, " The wind bloweth where it 
listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but 
knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it 
goeth: so is every one that is bom of the Spirit." 
This spiritual power is that which arouses the con- 
science, inspires devotion and reverence for God 
and for all that is holy ! 

Indeed, it is the power of God ! In God we find 
the gospel's divine source. God in his own way 
prepared the world for it, and then in his own good 
time sent his Son to make it known. It is not 
enough to say that it is a power — " it is the 
power ! " It is God's only means of converting 
the sinner from sin to righteousness ; from dark- 
ness to light ; from the service of Satan to the 



58 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

service of God. The history of the victories of 
the gospel proves this statement to be in every 
way true. It has never failed to conquer and save 
either in former or modem times ! There has 
never been a force that could equal it. It is truly 
the power of God. Most assuredly this must be 
pre-eminent power! 

II. It is God's power to save the soul. All 
men were lost and ruined. Nothing but the sal- 
vation that God giveth could save them. God's 
power was needed more than everything else, and 
it was placed in the gospel. We are taught that 
the gospel alone contains this power. In its 
sweep it is as wide as the world. It embraces all 
nations, tongues and peoples. 

All power is not saving power. There are pow- 
ers that can be used to either curse or bless God. 
It requires power to spread licentious literature, 
to scatter broadcast that which is evil, and to 
shake man's faith. This is power used to curse 
God. Then, on the other hand, it requires power 
to heal wounded hearts, to bless your fellow men, 
and to help men to God. Thus only " the gospel 
is the power of God unto salvuticm ".' This is the 
power that saves the soul ! It requires this power 
of God to forgive sins. By the force of arms 
Alexander had power to subdue the world. Rome 
had power to make Britain tributary, to redden 
the Rhine with German blood, to stab the heart of 
Egypt, and to conquer Judea. But those powers 
could not forgive the sins of man f " Who but 



THE NEW TESTAMENT GOSPEL 59 

God can forgive sins ? " A chorus of a million 
voices cries out, " None but God can forgive sins ! " 

III. Paul declares it to be a universal 
POWER. " To every one that believeth ; to the 
Jew first, and also to the Greek." This is one of 
the fundamental reasons why he was not ashamed 
of the gospel. He had confidence enough in it to 
believe that it would save the Romans just as it 
had saved others. Anywhere and everywhere it 
would exert its power. It meets the needs of man 
in every circumstance of life. It holds out an 
helping hand to all, white, black, brown or yellow ! 
It has never favored a sect. The world is its 
home. It knows no distinction between the rich 
and poor, nor between the " classes " and the 
masses ! It is for " the Jew first, and also to the 
Greek." Its universal spread is absolutely cer- 
tain ! All the powers of the Evil One waged 
against it cannot prevent it from going forth. 
For three hundred years the battle raged between 
Christianity and Roman paganism. At last one 
of the most hostile emperors was compelled to ex- 
claim with a dying breath, " Thou hast conquered, 
O Galilean." The time will come when the whole 
world will reiterate the words of this dying em- 
peror ! 

IV. Then it is a constraining power. What 
is it that causes men and women to say good-bye 
to all that is dear to their hearts, and go into far- 
away lands and labor as missionaries.? What 
makes men stand up before a hissing world, and 



60 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified? 
This is it — " The love of Christ constraineth 
us " ! What leads the timid woman down the dark 
way to sit beside the poor victim dying in sin? It 
is neither gold nor silver. What is it? It is the 
constraining power of the gospel! What sends 
the martyr to the stake? It is the constraining 
power of the gospel of the Son of God ! The gos- 
pel enables the individual to say, " I know that my 
Redeemer liveth, and though the fire devour this 
body, yet in my flesh I shall see the Lord." 

V. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel be- 
cause HE was not ashamed OF ITS FOUNDER. 

Though he was born in a stable ; though there was 
no room for him in the inn ; though he was the son 
of humble parents ; though he lived in the little and 
despised village out of which " cometh no good 
thing " ; though he was a root out of dry ground ; 
though he was abused and rejected of men ; though 
he was poverty-stricken, and without that which 
the world calls glory, Paul was not ashamed of the 
gospel he established. This seemed to be Paul's 
chief glory ! He was not ashamed to stand up 
and declare his faith in him even in Jerusalem, in 
Athens, on Mars Hill — no matter in whatever 
company or before whatever powers he was not 
ashamed ! 

" Ashamed of Jesus ! Sooner far 
May evening blush to own a star; 
Ashamed of Jesus ! Just as soon 
May midnight blush to think of noon; 



THE NEW TESTAMENT GOSPEL 61 

Ashamed of Jesus^ that dear friend 
On whom my hopes of heaven depend! 
No! when I blush, be this my shame, 
That I no more revere his name. 
Ashamed of Jesus ! Yes, I may, 
When I've no crimes to wash away. 
No tears to wipe, no joys to crave. 
No fears to quell, no soul to save; 
Till then — nor is the boasting vain — 
Till then I boast a Saviour slain. 
And oh, may this my glory be. 
That Christ is not ashamed of me." 

VI. We should not be ashamed of this gos- 
pel BECAUSE IT IS AN EXCELLENT GOSPEL. It is 

the glorious gospel of the blessed Son of the Most 
High. It is replete with pity and pardon for sin- 
ners, and filled with heavenly interest and glory. 
This excellence is seen in its revelations. It re- 
veals the Saviour's love and the God of power. It 
is excellent in that it was announced in promise, 
in prophecy, in prospect, and in its fullness. 

This excellency is also seen in its victories. Its 
founder was killed, buried, rose from the dead and 
gained the victory over death ! He was caught 
up into heaven, and given a seat at the right hand 
of God. Then has not this gospel gained the vic- 
tory over Judaism, paganism and barbarism.'^ 
Did it not lead " captivity captive and give gifts 
unto men ".? Did not it gain victory over sin? 
Has it not opened prison doors.? It has done all 
this and more I It assures us of a final victory 



62 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

over the powers of the Evil One, and fills us with 
the hope of joys eternal! 

VII. The fundamental, reason why we 

SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF THIS GOSPEL IS BE- 
CAUSE SALVATION IS EXCLUSIVE IN IT. " Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
saved." " Christ is able to save to the uttermost 
all who come unto God by him." His commission 
is, " Go into all the world and preach the gospel 
to every creature, he that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved." This is called a great salvation ! 
Yet, though we have this emphatic teaching, ef- 
forts have been made to substitute other agencies 
through which salvation may be received. This, 
of course, would throw away the chief corner 
stone. Such efforts seek to substitute moral prin- 
ciples, science and philosophy, arguments and pre- 
tending philanthropy for the gospel plan ! 

It is claimed that human government is a balm 
for the world's sorrow and woes, but all history and 
experience demonstrates that this theory will not 
bring relief. It is true that it will restrain and 
protect, but it will not reform the life of the evil- 
doer! Law may control, but it will not save. If 
this agency is a balm for the weary, why did not 
the dynasties of Egypt accomplish more than they 
did.f^ Why did the monarchies of Babylonia and 
Persia not succeed? Then, have even the more 
perfect governments proved a saving power.? Our 
own government has not. The government of 
England has not. Look at the history of all gov- 



THE NEW TESTAMENT GOSPEL 6S 

emments, and see if you can find one incident 
showing that civil laws have ever saved a soul ! 

The educator claims that a universal system of 
education is a remedy for sin. But did self-cul- 
ture and education save Greece ? Did culture save 
Byron from immorality? Did philosophy save 
Bacon from bribery? And then did poetry save 
Poe from intemperance? Were the Athenians 
free from vice? Not so! No agency foreign to 
the gospel plan will save the soul of man. It is 
absolutely impossible! If men will be saved we 
must preach the gospel to them. Indeed, we must 

" Repeat the story o'er and o'er 

Of grace so full and free; 
I love to hear it more and more, 

Since grace has rescued me." 

And this gospel must be proclaimed in its full- 
ness — its facts, its commands, and its promises 
— facts to be believed, commands to be obeyed, 
and promises to be enjoyed! If this is faithfully 
done, men will hear it, obey it, and be saved by it. 

" O;, what amazing words of grace 
Are in the gospel found. 
Suited to every sinner's case. 
Who hears the gospel sound. 

" Come, then, with all your wants and wounds. 

Your every burden bring; 

Here love, unchanging love, abounds, — 

A deep celestial spring. 



64 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

" This spring with living water flows, 
And heavenly joy imparts. 
Come, thirsty souls, your wants disclose 
And drink with thankful hearts. 

" Millions of sinners vile as you, 
Have here found life and peace; 
Come, then, and prove its virtues too. 
And drink, adore, and bless." 



VI 

THE GREATER WORKS 

" Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father 
in me: or else believe me for the very works sake. Verily, 
verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works 
that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these 
shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:11, 
12). 

The personal ministry of Jesus was given 
largely to setting forth the proof that he was the 
Messiah, the Son of God. The miracles he 
wrought while on earth were to bless humanity, 
and to prove his divinity. He wrought no mira- 
cle for the sake of miracle, to attract attention, 
to be seen of men, nor merely because he could do 
so, but that men might believe that his claims were 
true. " And many other signs truly did Jesus, in 
the presence of his disciples, which are not written 
in this book : but these are written that ye might 
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, 
and that believing ye might have life through his 
name." 

WThen Jesus said, " He that believeth on me, 
the works that I do shall he do also," he was speak- 
ing to his disciples, assuring them that they 

should do works similar to those which he had done, 

65 



66 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

or in other words, they were to perform miracles 
similar to those which he performed. 

I. Let us notice beiefly some of the mira- 
cles WHICH HE WROUGHT. At onc time when he 
was teaching in the synagogue, there was a man 
present possessed with an evil spirit, which, in the 
hearing of all, cried out, " What have I to do with 
thee, Jesus of Nazareth.'' art thou come to destroy 
us.? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of 
God." Thereupon the loving Saviour, rebuking 
him and entreating him to hold his peace, com- 
manded the evil spirit to leave the sufferer he was 
tormenting, and the demon, having thrown the 
man down, and " uttering an inarticulate cry of 
rage and pain, left him." 

This miracle, the first of its kind over unclean 
spirits, was rapidly noised abroad throughout the 
whole region of Galilee. From the synagogue the 
Saviour repaired to the house of Peter, where his 
wife's mother lay sick of a violent fever, and taking 
her by the hand raised her up. Immediately the 
fever left her, and she was made whole. 

Not only did the Saviour heal the sick, and cast 
out evil spirits ; he opened the eyes of the blind. 
" Two blind men followed him, crying out and say- 
ing. Have mercy on us, thou Son of David, and 
when he was come into the house, the two blind 
men came in to him ; and Jesus said unto them. Be- 
lieve ye that I am able to do this ? They say unto 
him, yea, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, say- 



THE GREATER WORKS 67 

ing, According to your faith, be it unto you, and 
their eyes were opened." 

Then again he raised the dead. " And when he 
had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Laz- 
arus, come forth." (John 11:41.) Instantly 
the word of power was obeyed. There was a stir 
in the sepulchre. The dead man rose and came 
forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, 
and his face covered with a napkin, while the Lord, 
who was never more self-composed than when do- 
ing his greatest works, simply bade them loose him 
and let him go. Surely the culmination of his 
miracles was raising this man from the dead ! 

These works are worthy of the Son of God, not 
only because they were works of mercy and love, 
but also of superhuman power. Most assuredly, 
they contribute to manifest forth his glory. 
They were a necessary link in the chain of testi- 
mony which pointed to him as the Son of God and 
the Saviour of the world. The remembrance of 
those mighty works, therefore, would make his 
words, " If it were not so I would have told you," 
more convincing and comforting. But here the 
Lord says that not only shall his disciples do his 
works, but ** greater works. *^ 

II. Did the disciples do such works as did 
THEIR Master? Paul cast out an evil spirit. 
There are but few Christian people who do not re- 
member the vision which appeared unto the apostle 
Paul in which " there stood a man of Macedonia 



68 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

and prayed him saying, come over into Mace- 
donia, and help us." Stretching his eyes across 
the iEgean Sea, from Troas on the northeast, to 
the Macedonian hills, visible on the northwest, the 
apostle could hardly fail to think this the destined 
scene of his future labors. Accordingly, he and 
his companions set sail from Troas ; sailed to 
Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis ; 
and from thence to Philippi, which is a city of 
Macedonia, and here they tarried certain days. 
And on the Sabbath they went forth out of the 
gate, by the riverside, where there was, as they sup- 
posed, a place of prayer. " And it came to pass," 
says Luke, " as we were going to the place of 
prayer, that a certain maid having a spirit of di- 
vination met us, who brought her masters much 
gain by soothsaying. The same following after 
Paul and cried out saying, These men are the serv- 
ants of the most high God, who proclaim unto you 
the way of salvation. And this she did for many 
days. But Paul, being sore troubled, turned and 
said to the spirit, I charge thee in the name of 
Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out 
of her that very hour." 

Then, Paul healed the sick. We are told that 
the inhabitants of Malta received the shipwrecked 
mariners, among whom was the apostle Paul, with 
kindness, and kindled a fire, which was most need- 
ful in the cold and rain. Paul was helping gather 
sticks, and had just laid a bundle on the fire when 
a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened on his 



THE GREATER WORKS 69 

hand. The superstitious natives watched and 
said among themselves, " At all events this man is 
a murderer whom, saved from the sea, justice suf- 
fereth not to live." But when, after Paul had 
quickly shaken off the reptile into the fire, they 
watched a long time in vain to see him swell and 
fall down dead, they changed their minds and said 
that he was a god. The incident not only gave 
Paul the ascendency over the people which we well 
know how he would use, but it would naturally at- 
tract the attention of Publius, the primate of the 
island, whose estates were in the neighborhood. 
He received the apostle's party with courteous 
hospitality. " And it was so, that the father of 
Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery: unto 
whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laying his 
hands on him healed him. And when this was 
done, the rest also that had diseases in the island 
came, and were cured." 

Peter and John healed a lame man. They were 
going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, 
" and a certain man that was lame from his moth- 
er's womb was carried whom they laid daily at the 
door of the temple which is called beautiful, to ask 
alms of them that entered into the temple ; who 
seeing Peter and John about to go into the tem- 
ple, asked to receive an alms. And Peter, fasten- 
ing his eyes upon him, with John, said. Look on 
us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to 
receive something from them. But Peter said. 
Silver and gold have I none ; but what I have, that 



70 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Naz- 
areth, walk. And he took him by the right hand, 
and raised him up: and immediately his feet and 
ankle-bones received strength. And leaping up, 
he stood, and began to walk, and he entered with 
them into the temple, walking and leaping and 
praising God." 

At another time Peter raised the dead. At 
Joppa, the ancient port of Solomon, lived a cer- 
tain disciple named Dorcas, the name of whom has 
become the type of greater loveliness of that char- 
ity with which she clothed the poor by the labor 
of her hands. She " was full of good works and 
alms — deeds which she did. And it came to pass 
in those days, that she fell sick and died : and when 
they had washed her, they laid her in an upper 
chamber. And as Lydda was nigh unto Joppa, 
the disciples, hearing that Peter was there sent 
two men unto him, entreating him, Delay not to 
come unto us. And Peter arose and went with 
them. And when he was come, they brought him 
to the upper chamber: and all the widows stood 
by him weeping, and showing the coats and gar- 
ments which Dorcas made while she was with them. 
But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, 
and prayed ; and turning to the body, he said, Tab- 
itha, arise. And she opened her eyes ; and when 
she saw Peter she sat up, and he gave her his hand, 
and raised her up ; and calling the saints and wid- 
ows he presented her alive." 

Thus investigation discloses the fact that " the 



THE GREATER WORKS 71 

works which Jesus did his disciples did also." Je- 
sus cast out evil spirits, healed the sick, healed the 
withered hand, and raised the dead. His disciples 
did these things also. Surely then the " greater 
works " which he promised them that they should 
do were not performing miracles. It is thus that 
we are led to inquire : 

HI. What were the " greater works " 
WHICH THE DISCIPLES WERE TO DO? Beyond a 
doubt, the *' greater works " were the conversion 
of thousands in a day, and proclaiming the gospel 
in its fullness, or in other words, they announced 
the full law of pardon, which was greater work 
than miracles. When Peter preached the first 
gospel sermon under the commission, three thou- 
sand answered the first invitation, and already 
does he realize the " greater work " that had been 
committed to their hands. 

Proclaiming the full gospel is greater work than 
miracles because: 

( 1 ) It is the power of God unto salvation. No 
one will doubt for a moment that God has uni- 
versal and limitless power. Water is God's power 
to quench thirst, and food is God's power to quell 
hunger. Then God's power is manifest in the 
forces of nature we see around us. Every natural 
object declares the glory of God. His power is 
seen in all creation, but in the gospel of Jesus 
Christ is manifest the power of God unto salva- 
tion. Men have had power to conquer the world 
by force of arms. A powerful people had power to 



72 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

render Britain tributary ; to paint the Rhine crim- 
son with blood, but these powers were not able to 
forgive the sins of men. Only the gospel is the 
power of God unto salvation, and when they were 
proclaiming it, they were doing greater work than 
working miracles — greater because the soul is 
greater than the body ; greater to feed the soul on 
the bread of life than to feed the multitudes with 
loaves and fishes ; greater to open their minds to 
see Jesus as their Saviour than to open the eyes 
of blind Bartimeus, and greater to raise a man 
from the depths of sin than to raise Lazarus from 
the dead. Proclaiming the gospel is greater work 
than miracles, not only because it is the power of 
God unto salvation, but because : 

(2) It is a satisfying power. The achievements 
of man, as the world counts achievement, do not 
satisfy. Only the gospel will satisfy in the high- 
est and fullest sense. It is the gospel that enables 
man to say, " I know that my Redeemer liveth, and 
though the fire devour this body, yet in my flesh 
I shall see the Lord." It was this satisfying gos- 
pel that enabled Paul to say, " I am now ready to 
be off^ered up, and the time of my departure is at 
hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished 
my course, I have kept the faith ; henceforth there 
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which 
the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that 
day : and not to me only, but unto them also that 
love his appearing." 

The preaching of the gospel produces love in 



THE GREATER WORKS 73 

the hearts of men, which is greater than all spir- 
itual gifts. We are taught in the Word of God 
that if we speak with the tongues of men and of 
angels, and have not love, we become sounding 
brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if we have the 
gift of all prophecy, and know all mystery and all 
knowledge ; and if we had all faith so that we could 
remove mountains, and have not love, we are noth- 
ing. And if we bestow all our goods to feed the 
poor, and if we give our bodies to be burned, and 
have not love, it profiteth us nothing. 

" Saviour ! teach me, day by day. 
Love's sweet lesson to obey; 
Sweeter lesson cannot be, 
Loving him who first loved me." 

IV. Can we do greater works than work- 
ing MIRACLES.? Indeed, I think the modern Bible- 
school is doing greater work than working miracles. 
Some one said that the Bible-school is the greatest 
work in the world, and Martin Luther said, " God 
maintains the church through the schools." The 
Bible-school seems to have heard the admonition 
of Solomon, " Train up a child in the way it should 
go," and has cheerfully taken the responsibility 
of religious training upon its own shoulders. Con- 
cerning the Word, God said to Moses, " Thou shalt 
teach them diligently unto thy children." Through 
every department of the Bible-school there is 
greater work than miracles being done. 

Again, who can tell how far into eternity the in- 



74 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

fluence of a consecrated Bible-school superintend- 
ent will extend? None but God can tell. Some- 
where I heard a little story that serves this point. 
There was a New York superintendent who urged 
his teachers to bring new pupils with them the 
next Lord's Day, and as he walked down Sixth 
Avenue, attempted himself to win a street boy. 
" Will you go to Bible-school next Lord's Day? " 
In the vernacular of the street the boy said, 
" Nope." The superintendent said, " We have 
picture-papers for every boy." But still he would 
not come. " We have music, we have everything 
to make you have a good time," and the boy 
steadily refused. Disappointed, the superintend- 
ent turned away, and when he had gone a short 
distance he heard the patter of little feet behind 
him, and turning back he saw the boy. He said 
with an earnest, eager look, " Mister, are you 
there ? " The superintendent replied, " Yes, I will 
be there." " Well," said the boy, " next Sunday 
I'll be there." And he was. That consecrated 
superintendent did a greater work than that of 
working miracles. I wish that we might follow 
his influence, and see the entire harvest which was 
reaped from his sowing. Is not the work of a 
faithful Bible-school teacher greater than mira- 
cles? The faithful teacher is one of God's best 
instruments on earth for the salvation of our chil- 
dren and young people. The inspired man of God 
said, " They that be teachers shall shine as the 
brightness of the firmament and they that lead 



THE GREATER WORKS 75 

many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for- 
ever and ever." 

" The Sunday School Lighthouse shines out on life's 

wave_, 
It beams for all nations, their children to save; 
Thro' Calvary's cross and thro' Bethlehem's cave, 
The light shines from glory with power to save. 

" The channels are narrow, sin's breakers are there. 
Life's ocean is strew'd with wrecks of despair; 
Then build up, my brother, no time for delay. 
The Sunday School Lighthouse and save them to-day. 

" The workers are needed, the teachers are few. 
The Master, my brother, depends upon you; 
Don't wait for some wasted life wreck'd on the shoals, 
The Sunday School Lighthouse must save lives and 
souls. 

" Where Unbelief's waves roll and storms are most 

fierce. 
The Sunday School Lighthouse that dark gloom must 

pierce ; 
'Tis the gleam of that Star which at Bethlehem shone. 
The Sunday School Lighthouse will light the way 

home." 



VII 

RISEN OR STOLEN — WHICH? 

"He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24:6). 

The resurrection of our Lord is regarded by all 
right-thinking people as the greatest and most im- 
portant event that ever occurred. It is consid- 
ered thus because if he had not risen from the dead 
our faith would be in vain, and the whole gospel 
a farce. Upon the resurrection of the Lord we 
stake our veracity, and if it is ever proved that 
he did not rise from the dead, then the apostles 
may be considered false witnesses : " We are false 
witnesses of God ; because we witnessed of God that 
he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so 
be that the dead are not raised." Indeed, the 
whole doctrine of redemption is inseparably con- 
nected with the resurrection of the Lord. It is 
the resurrection of the Lord that is involved in 
all our hopes of salvation from sin and of future 
happiness, for " if Christ hath not been raised, 
then is our preaching vain, and our faith also is 
vain." (1 Cor. 15:14.) Hence we can readily 
see the necessity of a careful and prayerful con- 
sideration of the subject of all subjects — the res- 
urrection of our Lord. 

76 



RISEN OR STOLEN — WHICH? 77 

Let us notice, in the first place : 

I. The resurrection pre-announced by the 
Master himself. The Master was not ignorant 
of what the future held for him. He knew that he 
must suffer, " the just for the unjust," be 
" wounded for our transgressions," " bruised for 
our iniquities," " make his grave with the wicked," 
and that on the third day he would rise from the 
dead. He knew that he had to endure what his 
disciples, at that time, could hardly endure to hear 
mentioned. But the Master was true to them, and 
wisely taught them concerning his death and res- 
urrection beforehand. " Destroy this temple," he 
said, " and in three days I will raise it up again." 
Such a thought had never entered their minds ! 
"What does he mean, and how can this be?" 
Listen : " I have power to lay down my life, and 
I have power to take it up again." 

" An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after 
a sign, but no sign shall be given to it but the sign 
of Jonah the prophet : for as Jonah was three days 
and three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall 
the Son of man be three days and three nights in 
the heart of the earth." " It shall come to pass 
that they shall deliver the Son of man to the Gen- 
tiles, to mock, to scourge and kill, and the third 
day he shall rise again." Thus he taught, and 
thus his disciples were partialis/ prepared for the 
tragic end of his earthly pilgrimage which was al- 
most at hand. 

In fulfillment of these prophecies relating to 



78 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

his death and resurrection, he was condemned, 
scourged, crucified and killed. That the Master 
really died is a proposition in support of which 
there is proof in abundance. Aside from the proof 
recorded in the gospel narratives, it may be re- 
marked : " If it were possible for him to survive 
the crucifixion, the prolonged torture, and the 
wound in the side, and if what appeared to be 
death could be supposed to have been only a 
swoon from which he woke, how could his life in 
a mortal body have been continued? Where did 
he go? When did he really die? Such a contin- 
uation of his earthly life, if all other difficulties in 
the supposition were removed, could only have 
taken place through a consummate effort of de- 
ceit at which he himself connived." However, the 
most trustworthy proof in support of the propo- 
sition above is that which is found in the gospel 
narratives. " The Jews therefore, because it was 
the preparation, that the bodies should not remain 
on the cross upon the Sabbath (for the Sabbath 
was a high day), asked of Pilate that their legs 
might be broken, and that they might be taken 
away. The soldiers came, and brake the legs of 
the first, and of the other that was crucified with 
him: but when they came to JesuSy and saw that 
he was dead already, they brake not his legs.'' 
(John 19:31-33.) Again, in answer to the thief 
he said, " To-day shalt thou be with me in para- 
dise." A short time after this he cried with a loud 
voice, " ' Father, into thy hands I commend my 



RISEN OR STOLEN — WHICH? 79 

spirit ' : and having said this, he gave up the 
ghost." (Luke 23:44-46.) Thus the gospel 
narratives, their trustworthiness having been es- 
tablished beyond successful contradiction, furnish 
conclusive proof that Jesus really died. 

Meanwhile, before the awful news of the Sav- 
iour's death could reach the ears of Pilate, Joseph 
of Arimathaea, a man of wealth, a member of the 
Sanhedrin, and a secret disciple of Jesus, who 
did not consent to the cruel resolution to put him 
to death, asked that the body of the Saviour might 
be given to him. The request was granted, and 
he repaired to " the place of a skull " to take the 
holy body from the cross. Here he was joined 
by Nicodemus, who had brought " a mixture of 
myrrh and aloes." Together they took down the 
holy body, wrapped it in the linen clothes, sprin- 
kled the myrrh and aloes amongst them, and con- 
veyed the Holy One to the new tomb, wherein no 
man had ever yet been laid. (Luke S3 :53.) Thus 
he, who once " wandered in poverty's stamp," 
" made his grave with the rich man in his death," 
and received the anointing of the great ones of the 
earth. But though his body had been destroyed 
and placed in the grave, the Pharisees and chief 
priests could not forget the mysterious saying of 
his that in three days he would raise it up. These 
words came to them with such increasing force 
that they repaired to the residence of Pilate, told 
him what the Deceiver had said, and requested that 
the sepulchre might be made secure till the third 



80 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

day, lest his disciples should come and steal the 
body, and then start the report that he had risen. 
(Matt. 27:63, 64.) Pilate said, " Take a watch, 
and make it secure as ye know how." Accord- 
ingly, with a guard of Roman soldiers they went 
their way, sealed the huge stone at the entrance 
of the sepulchre with their official seal, and then 
consigned the soldiers to the duty of watching the 
tomb of the Master. 

Very early on the morning of the third day it 
was discovered that the body of Jesus was not in 
the tomb. This fact has never been denied by 
saint or sinner. Then, the only question upon 
which there is disagreement is the question rela- 
tive to the resurrection. Skeptics claim that his 
body was stolen. Christians claim that he rose 
from the dead. Hence the subject : 

n. Risen or stolen — which ? To believe 
that his body was stolen is to believe: 

(1) The testimony of the soldiers to an event 
that occurred while they were sleeping. Suppose 
I place this gold watch on my desk, retire, fall 
asleep at once, and do not wake till morning. I 
then discover that during the night the watch has 
disappeared. At once I go to the authorities and 
succeed in having " John Brown " arrested on the 
charge of theft. A jury of twelve intelligent men 
is selected, and the trial is begun. He denies the 
charge. The testimony is called for, and of 
course I must give my testimony first. My attor- 



RISEN OR STOLEN — WHICH? 81 

ney asks me to tell the jury all I know about the 
case. I testify that I placed the watch on my 
desk and retired. At once I fell asleep, and did 
not wake till morning. I then discovered that 
" John Brown " had stolen the watch. I am then 
asked, " At what hour of the night did he steal 
it.P " My answer is, "I do not know; I was 
asleep ! " " Did he steal the watch while you were 
asleep .f^" "Yes, sir!" This is the end of my 
testimony. Do you suppose that the jury of 
twelve intelligent men would find " John Brown " 
guilty on such absurd testimony .^^ Most assuredly 
not ! Why ? Because I could not give testimony 
to an event that occurred while I was asleep. Ask 
those Roman soldiers, " At what hour of the night 
did the Master's disciples come to steal the 
body.^ " They answer, "We do not know; we 
were asleep ! " " Which one of his disciples en- 
tered the tomb first ? " " We do not know ; we 
were asleep ! " " Was the body in the tomb when 
you fell asleep ? " " Yes ! " " Was it there when 
you awoke.? " " No, sir ! " " Then the body left 
the grave while you were asleep.''" "Yes, sir!" 
" Then how do you know the disciples stole it.'' " 
They are as silent as stone men ! The fact in the 
case is that they were given a " large sum of 
money " to manufacture a lie ! 

Then again : " Either," says St. Augustine, 
" they were asleep or awake ; if they were awake, 
why should they suffer the body to be taken away ? 



82 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

If asleep, how could they know the disciples took 
it away? How dare they, then, depose that it was 
stolen?" 

(2) To believe that his disciples stole the body 
is to believe that both they and the soldiers openly 
defied the Roman law and penalties. The gov- 
ernor's seal was placed on the tomb. If any one 
broke that seal, death was the penalty. The body 
could not be stolen without breaking the seal. Is 
it reasonable to suppose that those frail and tim- 
orous disciples, who fled as soon as he was taken 
into custody, dared to break that seal? Did not 
they have everything to lose and nothing to gain 
by such an act? Could they afford to defy the 
Roman authority? Then, again: those soldiers 
were placed on duty to see that that seal was not 
broken. If they allowed the seal to be broken, 
death was the penalty. Under such circumstances 
and dangers as these, do you think it reasonable 
to suppose that they would have suffered the dis- 
ciples to break the seal? Then, it was a death 
penalty to steal a human body. For allowing a 
human body to be stolen, death was the penalty. 
To sleep on duty was a death penalty. Now 
then, in the light of common sense and reason, is 
it reasonable to suppose that both the disciples 
and soldiers hazarded their lives by disobeying the 
Roman law? No, a thousand times no! 

(3) Then, to believe that the disciples stole the 
body is to believe that which was impossible. If 
that body was not raised from the dead, it must 



RISEN OR STOLEN — WHICH? 85 

have been stolen. But this theft is incredible! 
Who committed it? Did the enemies of the Mas- 
ter do it? Would they have added to his glory 
by countenancing a report of his resurrection? 
If they stole the body, why did they not produce it 
and thus silence the report of the resurrection? 
They did not have it. Hence, they could not pro- 
duce it. Did his disciples steal the body? It is 
next to certain that they would not and it is ab- 
solutely certain that they could not. Then, if 
Jesus were not risen, he deceived his disciples with 
vain hopes of his resurrection. How came the dis- 
ciples not to discover the imposture? Would they 
have hazarded their lives by undertaking such an 
enterprise in favor of one who was a deceiving im- 
postor? At the time the body of Jesus left the 
grave there were aproximately three million Jews 
in Jerusalem attending the feasts. The streets of 
that city were teeming with the passing multitudes, 
and it would have been impossible for his disciples 
to have stolen the body and carried it away with- 
out being detected ! 

Now, then, in support of the proposition that 
he rose from the dead it will suffice to consider: 

(1) The testimony/ of the disciples. His first 
appearance was to the women as they journeyed 
from the sepulchre. In the conversation which he 
held with them he told them to tell his disciples 
that he would meet them in Galilee. His next ap- 
pearance was to Mary Magdalene. His third ap- 
pearance was to Peter. Then at different times 



84 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

and places he appeared to divers persons. He 
appeared to two of his disciples as they were on 
their way to Emmaus ; to ten of the apostles ; to 
all of the apostles, Thomas being present ; to seven 
of the apostles at the Lake ; to more than five hun- 
dred of the disciples at one time ; to James the less, 
and last of all, he appeared to Paul as one born 
out of due time. The credibility of these wit- 
nesses is beyond question 1 The things which they 
vow are not empty suppositions, distant events re- 
lated by others, but real facts which they saw with 
their own eyes. " That which was from the be- 
ginning, that which we have heard, that which we 
have seen with our eyes, that which we have be- 
held, and our hands handled." (1 John 1:1.) 

(2) The testimony of the angel of the Lord. 
" Behold, there was a great earthquake ; for the 
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came 
and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. His 
appearance was as lightning, and his raiment as 
white as snow: and for fear of him the watchers 
did quake, and became as dead m.en. And the 
angel answered and said unto the women. Fear not 
ye ; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been 
crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, even 
as he said." (Matt. 28:2-6.) Did that messen- 
ger from heaven, clad in glistening apparel, bring 
a false message to the hearts of those women.'' 
Was he a messenger of despair instead of hope.'* 
Let not the world think so ! His was a message of 
hope and good cheer ! That angel of the morning 



RISEN OR STOLEN — WHICH? 85 

carried the news of the dawning of earth's greatest 
day! 

" Soft the glow of morning sunlight 

On the lone Judean hill, 
Till an angel flashing through it, 

Gave it greater glory still. 

" Oh, the beauty of that morning! 

Ne'er was morning half so fair, 
As the greeting of an angel 

Floated out upon the air. 

" Banished now the woe and anguish, 

For the light of heaven shone 
All about our risen Saviour, 

And his tomb became a throne." 

III. What does the resurrection prove for 
Christ .? 

(1) It proves him to be divine. Jesus claimed 
to be the Son of God. This he confessed before 
the chief priest. He claimed to have power to lay 
down his own life and power to take it up again. 
This power was within himself. Elijah raised the 
dead, but could do so only by a power without — 
the power which he received from God. Peter re- 
stored the dead to life, but he did it by the power 
of Christ. Christ raised the dead by his own 
power. He raised himself from the dead by the 
power within himself. " Destroy this temple, and 
the third day I will build it up again." " I am 
the resurrection and the life." His resurrection 
vindicates the justness of his claim! 



86 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

(2) His resurrection proves that he had power 
over death. Death walked out and challenged 
the Son of God to battle. He accepted the chal- 
lenge and won ! " Since then the children are 
sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like 
manner partook of the same; that through death 
he might bring to nought him that had the power 
of death, that is the devil; and might deliver all 
them who through fear of death were all their life- 
time subject to bondage." 

" The Lord is risen indeed ! 

Then^ death is not an endless sleep ; 

Grim warders shall not always keep 

My flesh with ruthless greed. 

Since the dear Christ arose 

Conqueror of those last foes 

Which my true life oppose. 

Lie where I may, low winds shall wave 

Sweet Easter flowers above my grave." 

In the fourth and last place let us ask: 

IV. Or WHAT MOMENT IS THE RESURRECTION 

OF Christ to us.? 

( 1 ) It furnishes a basis for our hope of life be- 
yond the grave. The human heart longs for higher 
and better things than this life can ever aff'ord. 
It leaps out into the future and grasps the hope 
of another and better life I It longs for immor- 
tality ! Man calls his highest imagination into 
requisition to find it! He looks up into the very 
gate of heaven and asks, "Will man live again .^^ 



RISEN OR STOLEN — WHICH? 87 

Is there life beyond? Will the longing desires of 
my nature be satisfied? Will I live forever? " 
These are the questions of the soul. These are 
the questions that call forth the answer : " He 
that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he 
live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me 
shall never die" The poet heard the answer, and 
in words of deepest tenderness breathes to us the 
message that " the infidel's ' no hope ' is the dawn- 
ing of the hope of every Christian man." It is 
the dawning of the hope that 

" There's a home in the skies where the weary will 

rest, 
A glorious home in the land of the blest; 
There tears will be wiped from the sorrowful eye, 
And the broken heart will forget to sigh. 

" No pestilence rides on the wings of the air. 

No wave of affliction or sorrow is there; 

In darkness that region shall never be furled. 

For the smile of the Lord is the light of that world." 

(2) Not only does the resurrection of our Lord 
furnish a basis for the hope we have of life beyond 
the grave; it is the divine guarantee that there is 
life beyond the grave. You see those spring flow- 
ers blooming yonder by the wayside ? Do you not 
to-day hear a million buds bursting into life ? Do 
you not see returning life on every side? Is not 
nature waking out of her long silent slumber? If 
these companions of spring die and live again, 
shall we not expect as much of our bodies? Are 



88 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

our bodies of less value than they? Indeed, I ac- 
cept this returning life which we see all around us 
as a proof of the resurrection of our bodies. But 
the resurrection of our Lord is the divine guaran- 
tee, and by it, " by the universal hope and expecta- 
tion, by the fragmentary character of this life, by 
the longings of our nature that this world cannot 
satisfy, by the intuitions of justice, by the soul- 
attractions which beckon us onward and upward," 
you can hold your own against the unbeliever ! 

" Oh^ thou that reveres t a Master above, 

And sighest for glories immortal and high, 
Be strong in believing, and steadfast in love. 

When passion is loud and the tempter is nigh! 
When infidels bid thee be false to thy Lord, 

When they laugh at the faith that ennobles and 
saves, 
When they scofF at his people, and rail at his word, 

Be thou to their wildness that rock in the storm. 

"Aye! stand like that sea-cliff; nor ask thou to shun 

The word of obedience, the care of the cost. 
There are treasures of infinite price to be won. 

There are treasures of infinite price to be lost; 
With the wiles of the tempter, his vengeance or mirth. 

Strive thou as the bold and faithful have striven. 
And the sorrows and toils of thy warfare on earth 

Shall be paid in the peace and the rapture of 
heaven ! " 



VIII 
THE AWAKENING OF A SOUL 

" So the woman left her waterpot, and went away into 
the city, and saith to the people, Come, see a man who 
told me all things that I ever did." (John 4:28, 29). 

The outbreak of a feeling of opposition to the 
popular enthusiasm for Christ brought about the 
opportunity for him to have a conversation with 
the woman who uttered the words of the text. 
That there was great enthusiasm for him is very 
clearly set forth in the Gospel of Mark. " And 
many were gathered together, so that there was 
no longer room for them: and he spoke the word 
unto them. And they came, bringing unto him 
a man sick of the palsy, borne by four. And when 
they could not come nigh unto him for the crowd, 
they uncovered the roof where he was ; and when 
they had broken it up, they let down the bed 
whereon the sick of palsy lay. And Jesus seeing 
their faith saith unto the sick of the palsy, Son, 
thy sins are forgiven." (Mark 2:2-5.) Already 
had John been thrown into prison, and Jesus was 
now left alone to bear the full stream of Pharisaic 
hatred. This hatred was all the greater because 
the multitude was crowding about him, and be- 

89 



90 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

cause he was making and baptizing more disciples 
than John. Jesus was fully aware that the re- 
sults of his ministry had roused the jealousy and 
hatred of the Pharisees. Accordingly, he left 
Judea, and prepared to return through Samaria 
to the hills of Galilee. " So he cometh to a city 
of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of 
ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph: and 
Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being 
wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well. It 
was about the sixth hour." (John 4:5, 6.) 

His disciples having gone to the city to buy 
meat, he sat there alone. And a woman of Sa- 
maria approached with a pitcher on her head, and 
the Saviour requested of her water to quench his 
thirst. Astonished that such a request should be 
made to her by a Jew, she inquired how he could 
thus address a Samaritan, with whom it was not 
lawful to have any dealings. On hearing this he 
begins to awaken her soul by telling her of living 
water at his command springing up unto everlast- 
ing life. His awakening power was further in- 
creased by revealing his acquaintance with the 
secret of her life, for she was living in adultery. 
This proof of superhuman knowledge made her feel 
that she was in the presence of no ordinary being. 
Upon this she remarked that her fathers wor- 
shipped on Mount Gerizim, and that the Jews 
claimed that at Jerusalem was the place where 
men ought to worship. This brought the Sav- 
iour's opportunity, and he assured her that the 



THE AWAKENING OF A SOUL 91 

hour was at hand when neither on Gerizim nor yet 
at Jerusalem would men worship the Father; the 
Samaritans worshipped they knew not what; the 
Jews worshipped that which they knew, for of 
them was salvation; but a time was coming when 
the true worshippers would worship the Father in 
spirit and in truth! Thus the woman was led to 
hear from his own lips that he was the long-ex- 
pected Messiah. 

Regarding the matter of his passing through 
Samaria, knowing at the same time that the Jew 
and Samaritan were not friendly toward each 
other, it may be remarked that it was not abso- 
lutely necessary ! He could have gone through 
Peraea, and this the strict Jew would have done. 
However, it does not seem that Jesus chose this 
way wholly because it was a more direct route. 
He had another reason far more fundamental. 
He " must needs " go through Samaria because he 
felt the divine necessity of saving thirsty souls. 
Although the Saviour was sent to the lost sheep 
of the house of Israel, he never refused to save any 
individual that was willing to be saved. It was his 
passion for sovls that led him through Samaria! 
He journeyed that way that he might awaken 
souls, the first of which was : 

I. The soul of a Samaritan woman. This 
woman had come to Jacob's well to draw water. 
Her life had not been a good one, and like all sin- 
ners she, no doubt, found the bondage to be bit- 
ter. Yet, with all her sin she turned her thoughts 



92 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

higher. The Saviour knew her heart, and his 
very presence was instrumental in awakening her 
soul. Through the water that satisfied her tem- 
poral thirst he led her to know something of the 
living water — to think of the higher spiritual 
reality! Thus she was led step by step to say, 
" Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither 
come all the way hither to draw." (John 4:15.) 
Indeed, she was led by personal revelation to see 
her sin and to feel the need of a Saviour. She 
felt that she was in the presence of just such a 
Saviour as she needed, and that he knew her alto- 
gether. She did not try to deny the sinful course 
of her life. She knew she was guilty and did not 
deny it. She showed that she was conscious of 
need, and that she believed that he could supply 
it, by asking him for information concerning the 
higher spiritual life of which he spoke. This he 
was only too glad to impart! Her highest hopes 
were fulfilled, and she now stood in the presence of 
the Messiah! Her soul was awakened, and her 
heart leaped for joy ! 

Then, like all who have really come to the Sav- 
iour, she goes forth to make him known. So anx- 
ious was she to make him known that she left- 
her waterpot, and hurried to the town, bearing the 
news of the new and living water of which Jesus 
had spoken. Perhaps she did not make known all 
that the Saviour had said unto her. Yet, it is 
certain that she made known the important things, 
among which was the fact that the Saviour had 



THE AWAKENING OF A SOUL 93 

power to read her heart and life. No doubt this 
was an unpleasant task. It was unpleasant be- 
cause she would naturally want her acquaintances 
to forget her unlovely life. She would not want 
to have them recall the things which she had done. 
But she felt that this would show the Saviour's 
power, and she exclaimed, " Come, see a man who 
told me all things that I ever did! " (John 
4:39.) 

The next most interesting feature of the story 
of " the awakening of a soul " is : 

II. That which the Saviour taught re- 
garding THE PLACES OF WORSHIP. The tendency 
of men to localize worship is set aside by the true 
knowledge of the spirituality and omnipresence of 
the Most High God. The fact that God mani- 
fested himself in a special way to the children of 
Israel is due to the fact that Israel alone was then 
consecrated to his service, and that he wished to 
adapt himself to the needs of the childhood of the 
race. But when it comes to the reign of the Sav- 
iour, every barrier is broken down, and men are 
gathered into the kingdom from every nation. So 
everywhere the faithful are gathered together, and 
acceptable worship ascends to the very throne of 
God. " Ye also, as living stones, are built up a 
spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer 
up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through 
Jesus Christ." ( 1 Pet. 2 :5.) Here we learn that 
men cannot localize worship, and that the indi- 
vidual can worship God the Father anywhere! 



94 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

This idea is also in perfect accord with the teach- 
ing of the Saviour. He said to this woman, 
" Woman, beheve me, the hour cometh when 
neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, 
shall ye worship the Father. The true worship- 
pers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth ; 
for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God 
is a Spirit ; and they that worship him must wor- 
ship him in spirit and in truth." The Saviour 
teaches that the good hour is at hand when it is 
not necessary for men to go to the temple or any 
other special place to worship, but that everyone 
could worship the Father anywhere if only they 
will approach him in the spirit of truth. 

(1) Then it may he remarked that the place of 
worship, wherever it may he, is consecrated. It 
is true that the mere material that enters into the 
edifice dedicated to the worship of God is no more 
sacred than any other material. Yet from the 
fact that true worshippers assemble there for 
prayer and praise, the edifice acquires a sacred- 
ness that they feel obliged to recognize. It is 
here that the worshipper meets and worships the 
ob j ect of his devotion ; where the feast of spiritual 
food is spread, and where sinners turn from the 
service of Satan to the service of God. There 
they worship and say, " It was good for us to be 
there." The thoughts of all the joy of worship 
rush in upon our awakened souls, and fill them 
with gratitude and thankfulness. We respond to 



THE AWAKENING OF A SOUL 95 

the wooings of the Infinite Being, and with out- 
stretched arms we plead: 

" Take me, O my Father, take me ! 

Take me, save me, through thy Son; 

That which thou wouldst have me, make me. 

Let thy will in me be done. 

Long from thee my footsteps straying. 

Thorny proved the way I trod; 

Weary come I now, and praying — 

Take me to thy love, my God." 

(S) The place of worship is a place of sacred 
communion with God the Father. It is at the 
place of worship that God meets men and mani- 
fests himself to them. And it makes no difference 
where this place of worship is — God meets men 
there. If it is in the caves of the earth, God is 
there; if it is beneath the open sky or in the rude 
huts of India, God is there, and the worshipper 
enjoys holy communion with him. Through this 
communion with God, the soul is enriched, lifted 
higher and feels the pulse of the Infinite. Like 
Moses and Aaron, we come from the communion 
with God ladened with precious gifts, and haste to 
scatter good around. 

(3) The place of worship commands our rev- 
erence. We know that a reverence is due the holy 
place, recognize the presence of God, and con- 
tend that the things of the world ought not find 
entrance. When we enter the place of worship 



96 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

dedicated to the worship of God, we should feel 
that the charge given to Moses has its meaning for 
us : " Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the 
place whereon thou standest is holy ground." 
Every irreverence with which so many thoughtless 
people enter the house of God should be strongly 
condemned ! The true worshipper should do this ! 
Let us, while drawing near to God in the church, 
desire to be drawn yet closer towards him in faith 
and love. 

III. We are now brought to the matter 

OF WORSHIPPING IN " SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH." 

Here we find the object of our worship, and how 
to worship it. We see how the Master led her to 
the very loftiest themes — God and worship ! No 
higher revelation had ever been made, and no 
loftier themes discussed. This marvelous revela- 
tion was made known by a weary traveller, by one 
despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrow and 
acquainted with grief. The revelation was so 
plain that the poor sinful woman partly caught 
and assimilated it. Indeed, this is a striking ex- 
ample of how the truths about God and spiritual- 
ity are hidden from the wise and prudent, and re- 
vealed unto babes ! " I thank thee, O Father, 
Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide 
these things from the wise and prudent, and didst 
reveal them unto babes." (Matt. 11:25.) 

(1) The Father is the object of true worship. 
The true worshipper shall worship the Father. 
This would seem to set aside all other modes and 



THE AWAKENING OF A SOUL 97 

forms of worship. God is the Father to men — 
not a Father ruHng sternly from a throne, but 
ruling in love. This great thought, wisely re- 
vealed to Israel, our Lord made fully known ; thus 
the ideas of men regarding God were enlarged and 
elevated. They were taught that God is a Spirity 
and that spirits have not flesh and bones as we 
have. In this word the eternal essence of the 
Deity is described. His being is limitless ! He 
is not limited by time and space as humans are. 
He never knew beginning and, therefore, will never 
know end. The divine Spirit exists yesterday, 
to-day, and forever. He has no limitations on the 
side of nature, for he is the creator of nature which 
" lies plastic in his hand." He knows and wills 
without conditions. In his dealings and workings 
" none can stay his hand from working, or say 
unto him. What doest thou? " In him and in him 
alone is there absolute freedom. Thus with this 
conception of him, men draw from idolatry, and 
worship the Spirit instead of gods of wood and 
stone. They worship the unknown God of whom 
Paul spoke to the men of Athens. " Ye men of 
Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are very 
religious. For as I passed along, and observed 
the objects of your worship, I found also an altar 
with this inscription, to an unknown god. 
What therefore ye worship in ignorance, this I 
set forth unto you. The God that made the world 
and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven 
?ind earthj dwelleth not in temples made with 



98 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

hands ; neither is he served by men's hands, as 
though he needed anything, seeing he himself giv- 
eth to all life, and breath, and all things ; and he 
made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the 
face of the earth, having determined their ap- 
pointed seasons, and the bounds of their habita- 
tion ; that they should seek God, if haply they 
might feel after him and find him, though he is 
not far from each of us: for in him we live, and 
move, and have our being ; as certain even of your 
poets have said. For we are also his offspring." 
(Acts 17:22r-27.) This unknown god is the only 
obj ect of our worship — we would worship no 
other ! 

IV. We WILIi CONSIDER, IN THE LAST PLACE, 
THE TRUE MANNER OF WORSHIP. It is to be in 

spirit and in truth. It is an established fact that 
a man's worship is no higher and holier than the 
god he worships. If men worship wealth, honor, 
and the things which belong exclusively to this 
world, their worship is no higher than the world. 
Their form of worship will shape itself according 
to their idea of the Being they worship. Cold 
and formal ideas regarding God lead to cold and 
formal worship. On the other hand, warm, affec- 
tionate and loving ideas regarding God lead to 
humble, sacred and loving worship. Any other 
kind of worship is, to say the least, sacrilegious ; 
and should forever receive the stamp of disap- 
proval! But men cannot worship in the highest 
sense, neither can they get the fullest blessing, un- 



THE AWAKENING OF A SOUL 99 

less thej worship God as revealed in Jesus Christ. 
" He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." 
(John 14:9.) Therefore, those who come unto 
him must come as children come to the Father. 
Their hearts are in tune with the Infinite, and their 
spirits enter into a joyful fellowship. Thus we 
are to praise and adore him in spirit and in truth. 
Not through any temporal incentive, nor by out- 
ward material means, but by the rising of the soul 
toward God in holy communion. Worshipping 
" in spirit and in truth " does not mean that we 
are to worship him in the spirit of servile fear. 
Rather we worship him in the spirit of which Paul 
speaks in the Hebrew letter (I believe he wrote 
Hebrews). " Through him let us offer up a sac- 
rifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit 
of lips which make confession to his name." (Heb. 
13:15.) And not only are the worshippers to 
worship in spirit and in truth — they are to wor- 
ship in holiness and in truth. Indeed, the nearer 
we get to God, the purer and more spiritual will 
be our worship. The more we know of God, the 
fuller will be our worship in truth. This state- 
ment is made upon the basis of the fact that our 
worship and life in general are very closely asso- 
ciated. It is impossible to distinguish between our 
secular and spiritual sphere. They mingle and 
unite in such a way that we cannot separate them. 
No man leads a sinful and wicked life and still wor- 
ships God in spirit and in truth. It is impossible ! 
Such acts of worship God calls vain. " Hear the 



100 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

word of Jehovah, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear 
unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 
What unto me is the multitude of your sacrifices? 
saith Jehovah : I have had enough of the burnt of- 
ferings of rams, and the fat of the beasts ; and I 
delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, 
or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before 
me, who hath required this at your hand, to tram- 
ple my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; 
incense is an abomination unto me, new moon and 
sabbath, the calling of assemblies, — I cannot away 
with iniquity and the solemn meeting. Your new 
moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth ; 
they are a trouble unto me ; I weary of hearing 
them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I 
will hide mine eyes from you ; yea, when you make 
many pra3^ers, I will not hear : your hands are full 
of blood. Wash you, make you clean ; put away 
the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; 
cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek justice, re- 
lieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for 
the widow. Come now let us reason together, 
saith Jehovah, though your sins be as scarlet, they 
shall be as white as snow: though they be red like 
crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isa. 1 :10-18.) 
It is true that this is symbolic language. Yet 
there are sacrifices still ! But they are our 
own bodies. " I beseech you therefore, brethren, 
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies 
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which 
is your spiritual service." (Rom. 12:1.) Then 



THE AWAKENING OF A SOUL 101 

again there are lustrations and separations. This 
is clearly shown in James. " Draw nigh to God, 
and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, 
ye sinners ; and purify your hearts, ye double- 
minded." (James 4:8.) "Come ye out from 
among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord." 
(2 Cor. 6:17.) Serving him thus, our souls will 
be awakened, and eventually we shall worship him 
in his holy temple. " Therefore are they before 
the throne of God; and they serve him day and 
night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the 
throne shall spread his tabernacle over them." 



IX 
THE SPIRIT OF OUR MASTER 

"If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
his." (Rom. 8:9). 

Here we learn a tremendous fact — that if we 
have not the spirit of Christ, we are none of his. 
Therefore, knowing or not knowing what his spirit 
is, involves us in great responsibility. The Father 
would not hold us to so fearful consequences if it 
were impossible to know what the spirit of the Mas- 
ter is. If we could not know what his spirit is, it 
would be possible for us to be his without knowing 
it, but if we can knom what his spirit is, and do 
not possess it, we are " none of his." Hence we 
are to examine his plain, simple life in order to 
discover what his real spirit is. 

I. The very first thing that i notice is 

THAT humility WAS ONE OF THE CHIEF MANIFES- 
TATIONS or THE Master's spirit. Every event in 
his life indicated this spirit. Not an expression 
of haughtiness and undue pride is seen in his won- 
derful career. Instead of ascending to a throne, 
he was content to go to and fro before his people, 
associating with sinner and offcast, humbly ad- 
ministering to the need of the distressed, binding 

up the wounded heart, and teaching profound les- 

102 



THE SPIRIT OF OUR MASTER 103 

sons of humility. " Jesus, knowing that the 
Father had given all things into his hands, and 
that he came forth from God, and goeth unto God, 
riseth from supper, and layeth aside his garments ; 
and he took a towel, and girded himself. Then 
he poureth water into the basin, and began to wash 
the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel 
wherewith he was girded." (John 13:3-5.) This 
gathering of the Master and his disciples furnished 
an opportunity for him to inculcate one of the 
greatest lessons. It was one of the chief lessons 
of his entire life ! He took upon himself the form 
of a serA^ant. No incident in his life shows this 
more clearly than this one. He teaches the lesson 
of humility which should animate his followers 
through all ages and in all countries. This spirit 
of humility was taught to be the spirit of true 
greatness. Pride and pomp sink into nothingness 
at its side. The really great man is the humble 
man! True greatness is found in humble service. 
Whosoever would become great must become serv- 
ant of all. The Master showed this in the event 
of washing his disciples' feet. So we must say that 
the Christian life is a life of humble service ren- 
dered to our fellow-beings. 

Then, in view of what the Master taught regard- 
ing humility and service, we would say that this is 
an age which stands in bold contrast with his 
standard of service. It is an age when men need 
to learn the lesson of humility and of dependence 
upon God. 



104 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

There is also what may be called false humility. 
That is, there are times when men feel that they 
are unworthy, and cry out, " What is man that 
thou art mindful of him? " or, " I am not worthy 
that thou shouldst come under my roof." " De- 
part from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." 
Yet the true disciple will humbly and thankfully 
receive the blessing bestowed. But, when all is 
said, there is a false humility " that would obtrude 
its own ideas as to the fitness of things, and, misled 
by it, men would seek cleansing in their own way." 
They will not submit to the Saviour's way. They 
forget that without him they can do nothing, 
neither would they be anything in the earth. 

Then, again, the Master not only taught hu- 
mility by act, but he taught it by word as well. 
There was a time when his disciples thought that 
he was going to establish an earthly throne and 
rule the kingdom on earth, and they were especially 
anxious to know who was going to be the greatest 
in the new kingdom. They had an idea that true 
greatness was found in high places of importance. 
Hence they came to the Master and asked, " Who 
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And 
Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in 
the midst of them, and said. Verily I say unto you. 
Except ye be converted, and become as little chil- 
dren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of 
heaven." (Matt. 18:1-3.) Without humility no 
man can enter into the kingdom of heaven. And 
in order to receive the blessings of almighty God 



THE SPIRIT OF OUR MASTER 105 

we must become as humble, trustful, dependent and 
as teachable as little children. This will keep us 
from thinking of ourselves more highly than we 
ought to think ! 

II. Forgiveness was another manifesta- 
tion OF THE SPIRIT OF THE SaVIOUR. Iu the 

prayer he taught his disciples, they were told to 
pray for forgiveness as they had forgiven those 
who had trespassed against them. Somebody has 
said that he who will never forgive others ought 
never to sin, for he destroys the bridge over which 
he himself must pass. One of the most important 
questions that the apostle Peter ever asked the 
Master was, " Lord, how oft shall my brother sin 
against me, and I forgive him.? till seven times.? " 
Jesus said, " I say not unto thee, Until seven times : 
but. Until seventy times seven." And to make 
this meaning still plainer, he added : " There- 
fore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a cer- 
tain king, who would make a reckoning with his 
servants. And when he began to reckon, one was 
brought unto him that owed him ten thousand 
talents. But forasmuch as he had not wherewith 
to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his 
wife, and children, and all that he had, and pay- 
ment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, 
and worshipped him, saying. Lord, have patience 
with me, and I will pay thee all. And the Lord 
of the servant, being moved with compassion, re- 
leased him, and forgave him the debt. But the 
servant went out, and found one of his fellow- 



106 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

servants, who owed him a hundred shilHngs : and 
he laid hold on him, and took him by the throat, 
saying, Pay what thou owest. So his fellow-serv- 
ant fell down and besought him, saying. Have pa- 
tience with me, and I will pay thee. And he would 
not: but went and cast him into prison, till he 
should pay that which was due. So when his fel- 
low-servants saw what was done, they were exceed- 
ing sorry, and came and told unto their lord all 
that was done. Then his lord called him unto him, 
and said to him. Thou wicked servant, I forgave 
thee all thy debt, because thou besoughtest me: 
shouldst not thou also have mercy on thy fellow- 
servant? And his lord was wroth, and delivered 
him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that 
was due. So shall also my heavenly Father do 
unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother 
from your hearts." 

This parable seemed to conflict with everything 
that had been taught by others regarding forgive- 
ness. The rabbis are said to have taught men 
that they should forgive their neighbors three 
times, but no more! And even this was so quali- 
fied that forgiveness was almost meaningless. 
Doubtless, therefore, Peter in the question he pro- 
pounded thought that he was very near the real 
spirit of the Master. But the Saviour's reply 
showed him instantly that he was far off. It 
showed him that no limit can be set. And he it 
was who said : " But if ye forgive not men their 



THE SPIRIT OF OUR MASTER 107 

trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father for- 
give your trespasses." 

Then, the Saviour lived a life of forgiveness! 
He was always severe on sin, but dealt tenderly 
with the sinner. He had power to forgive sin. 
When the guilty accusers of a sinful woman had 
all passed out, the merciful Master said, " Neither 
do I condemn thee ; go and sin no more." 

In Luke 7:37-50 we have an account of the 
anointing of the Saviour's feet by a woman who 
was a sinner, and whose sins were fully forgiven. 
This scene so exquisitely described by Luke has 
inspired both painters and poets the world over. 
Here is a picture of a degraded woman and a 
gracious and forgiving Saviour ! 

" She sat and wept beside his feet. The weight 
Of sin oppressed her heart; for all the blame 
And the poor malice of the worldly shame 
To her were past^ extinct, and out of date: 
Only the sin remained — the leprous state. 
She should be melted by the heart of love, 
By fires far fiercer than are blown to prove 
And purge the silver or adulterate. 
She sat and wept, and with her untressed hair 
Still wiped the feet she was so blest to touch; 
And he wiped off the soiling of despair 
From her sweet soul, because she loved so much." 

HI. Obedience was another manifestation 
OF THE Master's spirit. Each year Jesus went 
with his parents to Jerusalem to attend the feast 



108 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, 
they attended the feast, and as they " were return- 
ing, the boy tarried in Jerusalem." As soon as 
his parents discovered that he was not in the com- 
pany, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. 
But they found him not. Still another day was 
spent in searching for him in the city, but with 
the same result. At length, on the third day, they 
found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of 
the learned masters of Israel, not only listening 
to their words, but asking them questions. While 
they marveled at his understanding, his parents 
drew near, and were amazed to find their son among 
the men of so august an assemblage. When his 
mother had spoken to him concerning the anxiety 
his absence had caused, he replied in artless but 
mysterious words : " How is it that ye sought me.'' 
Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's 
business .f^ " 

Then, when you recall the event of his baptism, 
you can not fail to see that he was obedient to the 
will of his heavenly Father. Leaving the home of 
his childhood in retired Nazareth, Jesus advanced 
southward towards the Jordan valley. Either at 
the northern ford of Succoth or the more southern 
one east of Jericho, he found his great Forerunner, 
and desired to be baptized by him. The Baptist, 
who had hitherto rebuked without distinction the 
sins of all classes and all grades, was deeply moved 
by the request. With an instinctive conviction of 
the immaculate purity of him whose advent he had 



THE SPIRIT OF OUR MASTER 109 

announced, he sought to prevent him, saying, " I 
have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou 
unto me? " (Matt. 3:14.) But the Master over- 
ruled his objection. " Suffer it to be so now, for 
thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.'* 
(Matt. 3:15.) 

In the garden we see the strongest manifestation 
of this spirit of obedience. The night was far ad- 
vanced, and Jesus, having instituted the Lord's 
Supper, started with his apostles towards the gar- 
den. On reaching it, the holy One left the greater 
number of the apostles at the outskirts, while with 
the chosen witnesses, Peter, James and John, he 
advanced farther into the shadow of the overhang- 
ing olives. Here he began to be sore amazed and 
veri/ heavy, and his soul exceeding sorrowful, even 
unto death, and as a last request he asked them 
to watch while he proceeded about a stone's-throw 
farther and engaged in solitary prayer. The hour 
for the last and most terrible assault of the prince 
of darkness had come ! Kneeling down and falling 
forward on the earth, he twice prayed that, if it 
were possible, the cup of suffering might pass from 
him, and as often with infinite resignation added, 
" iVof as I will, but as thou wilt.'' (Matt. 26: 
39.) 

IV. In the fourth place, we notice that 

FRIENDSHIP WAS AN IMPORTANT MANIFESTATION OF 

THE SPIRIT OF THE Saviour. To a circle consist- 
ing of but few of his followers Jesus said, " Greater 
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down 



110 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

his life for his friends." (John 15:13.) These 
words, as already intimated, were addressed to a 
company of men selected not only from those 
among whom and for whom the Master lived, but 
from the whole human race to which he was sent 
w^ith the message of life. On these few men he 
set his fondest hopes. To them he must have felt 
an inward and sacred relation. He was bound to 
them with the strongest cords of divine friendship. 
This friendship was indeed one of the greatest 
boons that he could have bestowed upon them. It 
was a union of the finest feelings, a binding of 
hearts between their souls. It was an indefinable 
trust they reposed in one another! On the part 
of the Master as well as on the part of the apos- 
tles, this friendship was so true and strong that, 
rather than forfeit it, either would lay down life 
for the other ! What was the cause of this degree 
of friendship? How came their hearts to be knit 
in such close union.? There can be but one an- 
swer ! It was sympathy ! The tree that bears 
sympathy bears also friendship. Indeed, " sym- 
pathy conceives friendship.^' 

V. Again, love was the chief manifesta- 
tion OF THE SPIRIT OF THE SaVIOUR. Love WaS 

his main power! Though he was a being of hu- 
mility, sympathy, tenderness, forgiveness and 
purity, yet love was the greatest force in his life. 
His very soul was ever enveloped in the atmosphere 
of love. Love is the magnet in his life that is 
drawing the world unto him, and has led hundreds 



THE SPIRIT OF OUR MASTER 111 

to lay down their lives for his cause through many 
centuries and on every shore. 

How very dearly he loved his friends ! How he 
cared for and instructed them ! He led them like 
a gentle shepherd. He protected his followers 
from the wolves, quieted them amid the raging 
storm, supplied their needs, and breathed upon 
them daily his heavenly benediction. Were there 
nothing else in sacred story showing his matchless 
love for his friends, his associations in the Bethany 
home would suffice. His kind association in that 
home, and his weeping at the grave of Lazarus, 
are enough to cause the world to exclaim, " Behold, 
how he loved them ! " 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 

" And it came to pass, as he sat at meat in the house, 
behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down 
with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw 
it, they said unto his disciples. Why eateth your Teacher 
with publicans and sinners? But when he heard it, he 
said. They that are whole have no need of a physician, but 
they that are sick." (Matt. 9:10-12). 

" And after these things he went forth, and beheld a pub- 
lican, named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and said 
unto him, Follow me. And he forsook all, and rose up 
and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in 
his house: and there was a great multitude of publicans 
and others that were sitting at meat with them. And the 
Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, 
saying. Why do ye eat and drink with the publicans and 
sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that 
are whole have no need of a physician; but they that are 
sick. I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to 
repentance." (Luke 5:27-32). 

Overpowered by their wonder at the cure Jesus 
wrought upon the paralytic, the Pharisees and 
scribes did not give further vent to their indigna- 
tion at his claim to exercise the lawful power of 
forgiving sins. But their national prejudices were 
soon to receive a still greater shock. As he walked 
by the side of the Lake of Gennesaret, the Saviour 
beheld sitting at the place of toll, probably at the 
port of Capernaum, a tax-gatherer named Levi or 

112 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 113 

Matthew. Though he belonged to a class above 
all others hated and despised by Jews of all others, 
the Lord did not hesitate to invite him to become 
one of his immediate followers. At once Matthew 
followed the Saviour, and in honor of his Master 
made a great feast to which he invited many of his 
friends and old associates. 

When the scribes and Pharisees saw him thus 
openly associating with a degraded caste, they 
could not retain themselves, and openly protested. 
But Jesus, as usual, was awake to the emergency, 
and they were speedily silenced by his wise reply. 
The fact that those among whom he sat were sin- 
ners is the strongest argument in favor of his pres- 
ence, for, as the physician of souls, he had spe- 
cially come to call not the righteous hut sinners to 
repentance. Or in other words, Jesus informed 
them that he associated with sinners, because he 
was a soul-physician, and that the soul-sick needed 
healing. " / came not,'* he said, " to call the 
righteous hut sinners ".' 

The fact that Jesus virtually called himself a 
soul-physician implies that there is sin in the world. 
Therefore, 

I. We consider, in the first place, the 
DISEASE CALLED SIN. It may be said in passing 
that sin is universal. It is almost as old as time 
itself, and is found wherever the human race ex- 
ists. It troubled the waters of the fountain of 
life near the beginning, and the current of human 
existence has been tainted by its foul breath from 



114 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

that time until now. However, what the human 
family lost in Adam it regained in Christ. " For 
as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be 
made alive." (1 Cor. 15:22.) 

From the study of the following passages of 
Scripture we learn that sin has its origin or source 
in the heart of the individual. " As a man think- 
eth in his heart so is he." (Prov. 23:7.) "Ye 
offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak 
good things.'^ For out of the abundance of the 
heart the mouth speaJceth.^* (Matt. 12:34.) 
" From within, out of the heart of men, evil 
thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, 
adulteries, covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lascivi- 
ousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness : 
all these evil things proceed from within, and de- 
file the man." (Mark 7:21.) Those passages, 
viewed as a whole, indicate the spontaneousness 
of what comes from the heart ; for it is out of the 
abundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh. 
We have here a new application of a former say- 
ing recorded as follows : " By their fruit ye shall 
know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or 
figs of thistles.'^ Even so every good tree bring- 
eth forth good fruit ; but the corrupt tree bringeth 
forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth 
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth 
good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth 
good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
Therefore by their fruit ye shall know them." 
(Matt. 7:16-20.) We cannot fail to see that 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 115 

here the sentiment is that there are but two king- 
doms. If we promote one, we cannot belong to 
the other. And they that set themselves in wilful 
opposition to the kingdom of God openly proclaim 
to what other kingdom they belong. Through op- 
position to God's will and plan we reveal the ven- 
omous malignity of our hearts! 

Bad environment always brings the opportunity 
for evil doing, the solicitation or provocation to 
evil, so far do evil communications corrupt good 
manners ; but the first cause of all must be found 
in the heart itself, in its lack of right direction, 
sympathy and force. 

Then this disease drives away the love and de- 
sire that men may have for God's Word. Strange 
to say, this is not so in regard to secular truth. 
The man of science is strongly pushing his in- 
quiries into the realm of nature. For instance, 
the astronomer studies the heavens, the chemist is 
busy in his laboratory, and out yonder among the 
hills is the geologist studying the formation of 
rocks. Each one in his own way seeks truth. 
And though they may be sinful to the very core, 
this sin does not repress their enthusiasm nor les- 
sen their desire for the real truth in science. In 
other secular branches this same truth is self-evi- 
dent ! But with the truth that comes to us 
through God's Word it is quite different. This 
truth sounds in their conscience and they assume 
a different attitude towards it. ^Vhy do they as- 
sume this attitude.'' As somebody has said, it must 



116 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

be because this truth does not offer itself as mere 
abstract truth to excite speculative interest. It 
comes bringing with it great demands, and claim- 
ing obedience. Hence they find it is not so easy 
always to obey the truth as to talk about it and 
to admire it as it is found in all natural things that 
God hath made. It tells us, not simply the way 
in which we should believe, but also the way in 
which Christians ought to walk! Thus men find 
it harder to walh rightly than to believe rightly! 
God's Word is imperative and men shrink from its 
demands. It is a rebuke to every sinful life. 
David, Solomon, Saul of Tarsus, and hundreds of 
others have received its rebuke. Every page of 
its sacred contents goes dead against sin, and he 
who loves sin does not care to read the book in 
which he sees his own condemnation written. Then 
the Word of God shows man the danger to which a 
life of sin exposes him. It reveals the wrath of 
God against unrighteousness and ungodliness of 
men. " The wages of sin is death " \ " The un- 
godly shall be turned into hell, and all nations that 
forget God." Hence we can clearly see that sin 
extinguishes all love and desire for the truth as 
found in God's Word. 

Not only is this true, but sin also destroys the 
soul's sensitiveness to the truth of the Word of 
God. It weakens the soul's power of moral per- 
ceptions. Just to the degree we cultivate the 
habit of obeying the truth and following it will our 
sensitiveness to its teachings be increased. The 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 117 

vision of our souls shall become clearer, and we 
shall have larger views of it. Always obey divine 
truth. When it speaks to your soul, follow its 
indications of conduct and duty. Thus you will 
become more and more sensitive to it. On the 
other hand, if you disobey what you know to be 
the truth, the voice of truth will soon be quenched 
and you will cease to hear it. How soon does 
conscience sometimes lose its sensitiveness ! That 
which at one time you looked upon as sin has come 
to be regarded as innocent — as something quite 
allowable in even a Christian man. Do not allow 
yourself to trifle with truth! It is for your ulti- 
mate good that it should come into a position of 
power in your very nature, that it may bless you 
with freedom. Do not, therefore, let some darling 
sin hold it back and prevent it from rising within 
your soul. That very sin is destroying your soul's 
sensitiveness. The only reason why the Word of 
God does not bless us more than it does is because 
some sin checks its force, and thus its power of 
usefulness to us is crippled. 

Having thus considered the disease : 
11. Let us now turn our attention to the 
Physician himself. God saw that men were sin- 
sick and needed a physician. Accordingly, he sent 
prophets, priests, and kings, and they were all re- 
jected. He sent John the Baptist as a voice in 
the wilderness, urging repentance and condemning 
sin in high places, but his message was largely 
disregarded. Finally he sent his only begotten 



118 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

Son, the great Physician to whom we now turn our 
attention. 

The first thing we notice about him is that he is 
a physician who is thoroughly acquainted with the 
patient — maji! " But Jesus did not commit him- 
self unto them, because he knew all men, and needed 
not that any should testify of man; for he knew 
what was in man." (John 2:24, 25.) This 
power of Jesus had already been shown in the case 
of Nathaniel, a record of which is made in John's 
gospel. As proved on various occasions, Jesus 
knows and reads every human heart. He knows 
our hearts far better than we know them ourselves. 
How little we know of our own hearts ; how easily 
they deceive us ! But Jesus, our great Physician, 
knows every influence, every inception of our 
thought or action, every feeling and emotion, and 
he knows even those that are unperceived by our- 
selves. How could it be otherwise with him of 
whom it is said, " All things were made by him." 
(John 1 :3.) Thus he sees through our very souls, 
and knows full well their needs and how to supply 
them. 

In view of this, let us not feel a regret, but 
rather let us rejoice, that Jesus does know men. 
We should rejoice because he is the loving, sym- 
pathizing Saviour, and is, therefore, able and will- 
ing to winnow the false from the true, the real 
from the unreal faith. The Christian's only se- 
curity is that the Saviour does know him. If he 
did not know us, he could not know the deeds of 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 119 

our lives, and how to supply the needs of our souls. 
But he knows our capacities as well as our weak- 
nesses, and how we can be best fitted for the serv- 
ice of his kingdom. Therefore, knowing that he 
knows all about us, and that he is touched with the 
feeling of our infirmities, and can send us help in 
time of need, it is our highest wisdom to yield our- 
selves to him submissively, saying, " Lord, thou 
knowest all things." 

Still further proof of the proposition that Jesus 
knows us is recorded in his saying, " / know mine 
own." (John 10:14.) Do not think that this is 
merely general care and oversight. In this he is, 
indeed, " one with the Father." The divine Prov- 
idence follows all men, overlooking none, despising 
none ! So the great Physician cares for the needs 
of the race. 

Not only does Jesus know men altogether, but 
he is acquainted with the disease — sin. That is, 
he knows its devastating consequences. Certainly 
he who delivered that unique sermon on the mount 
must have been familiar with the source and influ- 
ence of sin. In that sermon, especially, he informs 
us that sin has its origin in the heart — that its 
source is not in action, but in the thoughts and 
intentions. Had not the Saviour been acquainted 
with the origin, motive and effect of sin, it does 
not seem that he would have made such a sacrifice 
for its ultimate cure, and his sermons and teach- 
ings would not have been so full of warnings 
against it! 



120 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

The Physician was not only acquainted with the 
patient and the disease, but he was acquainted with 
God. " All things are delivered unto me of my 
Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the 
Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save 
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal 
him." (Matt. 11:27.) "Jesus answered. If I 
honor myself, my honor is nothing: it is my 
Father that honoreth me; of whom ye say, that 
he is your God ; yet ye have not known him ; but / 
know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I 
shall be a liar like unto you : but I know him, and 
keep his saying." (John 8:54, 55.) 

He is a Physician of power ! " And Jesus came 
and spoke unto them, saying. All power is given 
unto me in heaven and in earth." This being 
true, go out and tell the nations what is the soul's 
prescription, to relieve it from the thraldom of sin. 
As all power was given unto Jesus, he is fully ca- 
pacitated, as to ability, to be the Healer of the 
soul ! Thus the disciples were to go according to 
the directions he gave them, and exclusively in his 



name 



III. In the third and last place let us con- 
sider THE Physician's remedy for sin as laid 
DOWN in the New Testament. All admit that 
there should be a remedy for sin, and that man's 
remedies are insufficient. Though mankind has 
done many things of which we can justly be proud, 
though man has struck the earth with knowledge, 
experience and forethought, and caused her to give 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 121 

forth her treasures, though he has spread fertility 
over the barren landscape, and caused the " wilder- 
ness to blossom like a rose," though, by his magic 
touch, the earth, sea and sky have laid their treas- 
ures at his feet — yet the remedies of the greatest 
men can never blot out sin I They have never done 
so, they are not doing so, and they will never do 
so! 

This is true because forgiveness of sin and sal- 
vation are exclusive in the New Testament gospel. 
Efforts have been made to substitute other names 
and agencies, and in this so-called substitution we 
apprehend one of the chief dangers of the present 
age. These builders of the man-made temple 
would set at naught the chief corner stone of our 
salvation. It seems that they would substitute 
moral principles and examples, science and phi- 
losophy, rationalistic criticism and socialistic the- 
ories, sophistical argument and pretending phi- 
lanthropy, but all such influences and systems fail. 
They exalt material above the spiritual and leave 
sins unforgiven ! They are a delusion and a snare 
to their followers. Soul salvation is found in only 
the New Testament plan ! 

The great statesman may claim that human 
government is a balm for our sorrows and all our 
woes, but all history demonstrates that this theory 
will not bring forgiveness to man. Human gov- 
ernment may restrain the hand of the murderer, 
and protect our property and lives, but it will not 
reform the individual. It may dictate and con- 



122 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

trol, but it will not cleanse and save. All forms of 
government have been wholly inadequate to sup- 
press vice and save from sin. Recall the history 
of the dynasties and tell me if they saved Egypt. 
What did they accomplish.? Were the monarchies 
of Babylonia and Persia sufficient to save men from 
their sins.'' Were the autocracies of Russia and 
Turkey sufficient .? Have the better governments 
like England and America freed society from its 
vices ? Is France holier as a republic than she was 
as an empire.? Examine every human government 
on earth, and then tell me when you find one that 
forgives man's sins and saves him from hell. 

The educator may claim a universal system of 
education is a real remedy for sin. He may set 
self-culture as the greatest attainment of man. 
But what will the same educator say about the 
Golden Age of Greece.? What will he say about 
the intellectual culture of India.? Has not this 
idea been tested and proved inadequate.? Is it not 
a fact that sin in its most hideous forms existed in 
the midst of communities where the highest honor 
is paid to education.? Education will not regen- 
erate the heart, and change man's moral conduct. 
Did wisdom save Solomon from vice.? Did culture 
save Byron from immorality.? Did philosophy 
save Bacon from bribery.? Did poetry save Poe 
from intemperance? Were the Athenians free 
from vice .? " What though culture attained such 
a height in Athens that the scholars of the world 
flocked thither to pluck the choice flowers that 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 123 

blossomed in her gardens of wisdom? What 
though art attained such height that the birds of 
Attica pecked at the grapes which Apelles painted 
on the canvas? What though the philosophers 
plumed their wings to soar aloft with the boldest 
intellectual spirits of the world? Yet the Atheni- 
ans were corrupt at heart and sighed for a Saviour 
to save them from their sins." 

Then again the benefactor may lay claim to 
philanthropy as a remedy for the sins of men. 
Well directed charity, no doubt, helps to make 
conditions better. It cheers hundreds of hearts 
that would be otherwise depressed and sad. But 
philanthropy will not cleanse and save. All praise 
to asylums and hospitals and every benevolent in- 
stitution ! They bless humanity, but they will not 
save the souls of men ! 

Our Saviour did not come as a statesman, and 
yet he said, " Render unto Caesar the things that 
are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are 
God's." He did not come in the profession of a 
school-teacher, yet within himself he held hidden 
treasures of infinite wisdom and knowledge. He 
did not claim to be a philanthropist, and yet his 
life is condensed into a single sentence — " he went 
about doing good." He saw that Rome with her 
law had failed, he saw that culture had failed to 
save Athens, and saw that filial obedience and be- 
nevolence had failed to save China ! Therefore, 
the Saviour set about to do what as yet had never 
been done — to reform the heart, and give men a 



lU STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

plan whereby they might obtain forgiveness of 
their sins and receive eternal life. This plan is 
plainly taught in the New Testament Scriptures, 
and men, to be saved, must conform to its teach- 
ings. 

Taking up the study of this plan, or the remedy 
for the sins of men, as found in the New Testament, 
we notice that : 

(1) Faith is the first item that enters into it. 
" Without faith it is impossible to please God : for 
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and 
that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek 
him." (Heb. 11:6.) What is this faith? It is 
belief, confidence and trust. If I say that I have 
faith in " John Brown," I mean that I believe in 
him, I have confidence in him, and I am willing to 
put my trust in him. In speaking of faith in this 
way, I am aware that much has been written and 
spoken about what constitutes faith, but a great 
deal of that which has been written and spoken has 
only served to obscure the subject. " Faith is 
that action of the mind by which we accept truth, 
or by which we accept him who is the Way, the 
Truth and the Life." 

In view of the fact that we hear a great deal 
about " head faith," " heart faith," " gospel 
faith," " saving faith," " evangelical faith," " his- 
torical faith," " orthodox faith," we are led to ask 
how many faiths are men required to exercise? 
Let God's Word answer ! " There is one body, and 
one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 125 

of your calling; one Lord, one faith.** (Eph. 
4:5.) 

What is this one faith? It is the faith that the 
Bible requires, faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of 
God. If you believe in him, you accept him in all 
the sublime facts connected with his miraculous 
conception, his unique birth, his wonderful life, his 
terrible death, his burial, resurrection, ascension, 
coronation, and his mediatorial reign. By faith 
in Jesus Christ you accept him in all his commands 
to repent, to confess him before men, to be bap- 
tized, and to live a holy life. In a word, you ac- 
cept him in all his offices of Prophet, Priest and 
King. 

This faith is obtained only by accepting the 
testimony God has given concerning him. 
" Many other signs truly did Jesus in the pres- 
ence of his disciples which are not written in this 
book, but these are written that ye might believe 
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that 
believing ye might have life in his name." (John 
20:30, 31.) 

(2) After Jesus Christ has been accepted by 
faith, it must be followed by repentance, deep and 
thorough. In all dispensations the importance of 
repentance has been made evident. Whenever 
men have sinned they were required to repent in 
order to receive the divine favor. The New Tes- 
tament abounds in this teaching! The burden 
of John's preaching was repentance. (Matt. 
3:1-12.) Jesus himself condemned certain cities 



126 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

because they would not repent. " Then began he 
to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty 
works had been done, because they repented not." 
(Matt. 11:20.) And then he declared that all 
who refused to' repent would inevitably perish. 
" I tell you, Nay : except ye repent, ye shall all 
likewise perish." (Luke 15:5.) Indeed, there is 
not love and power enough in the universe of God 
to save an unrepentant sinner! 

What is repentance? It is an act in which, 
with sorrow for sin, we turn away from it and 
willingly forsake it. It is reformation. It is a 
thorough, radical change of character and trans- 
formation of life. It is restitution as far as it is 
possible to make restitution for the wrongs we 
have committed. Zaccheus understood the true na- 
ture of repentance when he offered to restore four- 
fold to those whom he had defrauded. If repent- 
ance means anything, it means that the dishonest 
man shall " provide things honest in the sight of 
all men," that the gambler shall forsake his den, 
that the libertine must abandon his wanton revels, 
that the profane shall cease to swear, that the 
drunkard must quit the saloon, and that the thief 
must quit theft. In a word, men must turn from 
their old sin in heart and action, and like Paul, 
say, " The things I once loved I now hate." 

(3) The next item that enters into the remedy 
for sin is confession. You must not serve the 
Lord secretly or clandestinely. " Ye are the light 
of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 12T 

be hid: neither do men light a candle and put it 
under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth 
light unto all that are in the house. Let your 
light shine before men, that they may see your 
good works, and glorify your Father which is in 
heaven." (Matt. 5:14-16.) 

Christians must let the world know where they 
stand. There comes a time in every man's life 
when he must show his hand, and that time, for the 
sinner, is when he gives his heart to Christ. I am 
aware that it takes a stout heart and a heroic 
spirit to make the confession of one's faith in the 
Saviour, but salvation depends upon it, and, there- 
fore, it must be made. " The word is nigh thee, 
even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the 
word of faith, which we preach : that if thou shalt 
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt 
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him 
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the 
heart man believeth unto righteousness ; and with 
the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 
(Rom. 10:8-10.) 

This confession may cost you your old asso- 
ciates, and bring many persecutions upon you, but 
such considerations must not overbalance your 
love for Christ and your loyalty to him. 

" Man may trouble and distress me, 
'Twill but drive me to thy breast; 
Life with trials hard may press me. 
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest. 
Oh, 'tis not in grief to harm me. 



128 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

While thy love is left to me; 

Oh^ 'twere not in joy to charm me. 

Were that joy unmixed with thee." 

Neither pleasures of this world nor its scoffs 
and its frowns should receive a moment's consid- 
eration when duty demands that we publicly con- 
fess our Lord. Our salvation, as stated before, 
depends upon this confession. " Whosoever will 
confess me before men, him will I confess before 
my Father in heaven. And whosoever will deny 
me before men, him will I deny before my Father 
in heaven." (Matt. 32:33.) 

(4) Baptism is the immediate duty that fol- 
lows the confession of faith, and it has its particu- 
lar place in the plan of salvation. Indeed, no 
one who has arrived at the years of accountability 
has the promise of salvation without it. Of course 
baptism of itself can do no possible good. It 
must not be disassociated from Christ nor from 
its antecedents. Unless preceded by a preached 
gospel, by a living faith, by a hearty repentance 
and a hearty profession of faith, and unless 
obeyed in the spirit of loyalty to our Lord's com- 
mand, it can do no possible good. Without these 
antecedents it can possess no more virtue than 
would the action of a man who accidentally falls 
from a log into the water. 

But the question arises, is baptism absolutely 
necessary? One of the best ways to answer this 
question is by asking other questions. Do you 



THE SOUL'S PHYSICIAN 129 

think it is necessary to obey God's commands? 
You answer, " Yes." Then, is baptism a com- 
mand? Your answer is, "Yes." According to 
your own admission, it is absolutely necessary ! 

One of our ministers gave his hearers the privi- 
lege to ask any questions they desired. A gentle- 
man arose and said, " Do you believe baptism is 
necessary? " The minister answered, " Jesus 
said, ' Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh 
us to fulfill all righteousness.' " " But," said the 
gentleman, " do yow think it is necessary? " 
Again the minister said, " Jesus said that many of 
the scribes and Pharisees rejected the counsel of 
God against themselves by refusing to' be baptized 
of John in Jordan." " But what do you think? " 
said the man. Again came the answer, " Jesus 
said, ' Go teach all nations, baptizing them into 
the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.' " 
" You are trifling with me," said the man. " I 
want to know what you think. ^^ To this the min- 
ister replied, " Jesus said, * Except a man be born 
of the water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into 
the kingdom of heaven.' " The gentleman is not 
satisfied and says, " But let me have your opinion 
in regard to the matter." Again came the scrip- 
tural reply, " Peter said, ' Repent, and be bap- 
tized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 
ior the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Spirit.' " 

This ended all questions! There was no room 



130 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

for his " thmk-so^s " and " opmion^y The Lord 
had spoken, and all that was necessary on the part 
of the minister was a " thus saith the Lord.'* 

I have presented four steps to be taken by the 
sinner in order to become a Christian, and secure 
salvation from past sins. These four steps, taken 
as a unit, constitute the great Physician's remedy 
for sin. This is the only remedy found in the 
New Testament. This remedy will enable you to 
stand in God's presence " washed, sanctified, justi- 
fied in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by 
the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor. 6:11.) 

Permit me now to call your attention to one 
other element that must accompany all others. 
This element is prayer or calling upon the name 
of the Lord. It is this spirit of prayer that ren- 
ders all acts of obedience acceptable to God. 
Therefore, 

" Be not afraid to pray, to pray is right: 
Pray, if thou canst, with hope, but ever pray, 
The' hope be weak or sick with long delay. 
Pray in the darkness if there be no light. 
Whate'er is good to wish ask that of heaven, 
Tho' it be what thou canst not hope to sec. 
Pray to be perfect, tho' martial leaven 
Forbid the spirit so on earth to be; 
But if for any wish thou darest not pray. 
Then pray to God to take that wish away." 



XI 

THE PRE-EMINENCE OF OUR SAVIOUR 

" And he is before all things, and in him all things con- 
sist. And he is the head of the body, the Church; who is 
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; That in all 
things he might have pre-eminence." (Col. 1:17-19). 

By all Christian people Jesus Christ is recog- 
nized as the pre-eminent figure in all art, poetry, 
and literature. Not only is this true of our own 
time — it has been so throughout the whole Chris- 
tian system. Hundreds of prophecies in the Old 
Testament point with unerring finger toward him. 
Philip spoke of finding him of whom " Moses in 
the law did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of 
Joseph." Take him out and all these prophecies 
are meaningless, and every Christian influence 
over men would cease. 

Paul, Peter, John, Knox, Luther, Campbell, Mc- 

Garvey and a thousand other great souls have 

believed unflinchingly in his pre-eminence. Paul 

said, " I determined not to know anything among 

you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." This 

statement makes us feel more keenly than before 

that Jesus, our Saviour, is indeed pre-eminent. 

Therefore, we are curious to know upon what his 

pre-eminence rests. Why is he pre-eminent.? 
131 



132 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

I. He is pre-eminent by virtue of the fact 

THAT HE IS THE FIRST-BORN OF EVERY CREATURE. 

When God said, " Let us make man," he made one 
of the most stupendous statements ever uttered! 
This statement means that there is a plurality 
of persons in the Godhead, Jesus Christ being one 
of them. Concerning his pre-existence Christ 
said, " Before Abraham was, I am." 

And then the apostle John said, " In the be- 
ginning was the Word, and the Word was with 
God, and the Word was God. The same was in 
the beginning with God. All things were made by 
him ; and without him was not anything made that 
had been made. In him was life." From this 
passage we learn that the existence of the Saviour 
antedates all time and created things. Yea, more 
than this ! It denotes the beginning of that move- 
ment of the divine creative energy from which 
there came forth the visible universe. These 
words of the inspired writer lead us beyond any 
definite point into the immeasurable eternity. In 
the beginning the Word existed. The Logos was 
not called into being; he existed before all worlds 
— before the visible universe began. As eternity 
has neither beginning nor end, the Word is 
eternally existent. " By him were all things cre- 
ated, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, 
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or 
dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things 
were created by him and for him." (Col. 1:16.) 

II. He IS PRE-EMINENT BECAUSE HE IS THE 



PRE-EMINENCE OF OUR SAVIOUR 133 

IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GoD. Man was Created 
in the image of God intellectually, morally, and in 
volition. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, 
the Son of his love joined by a bond to us mys- 
terious and ineffable, and related in a sense in 
which no other can be. He is the first and the last 
— the only divine Son. 

It may be remarked that this invisibility is what 
may be called a negative attribute of God, and 
along with which may be mentioned unsearch- 
ableness, unchangeableness, and irresistibleness. 
These attributes are wholly necessary in order 
that we may have a better understanding of the 
everlasting Father. In pathetic words Job said, 
" I cannot in any way penetrate the dark mantle 
of his invisibility." (Job 11:7.) The same 
great truth is implied in the words of Jesus to the 
woman at Jacob's well, " God is a Spirit." Then 
what hath he to be seen.'' The fruits and traces 
are seen in all his works, but he himself is seen no- 
where. In saying this we are, of course, remem- 
bering " God manifest in the flesh " and the ele- 
vation of the visible humanity into the heavens in 
the person of Jesus Christ. But if it should be 
that our Lord will always, through eternity, re- 
tain his glorified humanity in heaven, and be seen 
in that and be loved and worshipped in that, the 
question still is, what will be seen.'' The spiritual 
essence, the limitless power and presence of God, 
will still be deep within, quite beyond our under- 
standing, high above and far away. What the 



134 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

individual can see can never be a part of the im- 
mortal soul. The spiritual substance requires a 
spiritual portion, just as the child-spirits require 
the Father of spirits ; thus spirit for spirit — 
Creator for creature — invisible for the visible. 

III. In the third place, Jesus is pre-emi- 
nent IN that he has power over death. There 
was never a transition to be compared with the 
transition from death to life. It is the only really 
true victory ever won. The warrior goes out to 
conquer only to be conquered. They rise only to 
fall. They use the sword and perish by it. The 
decree has been launched forth that from dust we 
came and to dust we must return. Only the Son 
of God could say, " I am alive for evermore." 
When John penned these words he was an exile on 
the lone island of Patmos. He was banished there 
" for the Word of God, and the testimony of 
Jesus." Yet he was far from being alone I Jesus 
came to him. This was a special visit of the Sav- 
iour, and John's soul was lifted far higher than 
ever before. He received visions and revelations. 
A great future passed before his eyes. No doubt 
he saw nations fall and rise, and men succeed and 
fail. The battle between good and evil was 
waged in his very presence ; he saw the rise of the 
spiritual kingdom, and the New Jerusalem coming 
down out of heaven. But with all this he needed 
the assurance that he was really in the very pres- 
ence of his own dear Master. So he is tenderly 
led back to Calvary : " I am he that liveth, and 



PRE-EMINENCE OF OUR SAVIOUR 135 

was dead." John knew what this meant. He 
had stood near the cross. He remembered the 
painful hours that the disciples had experienced. 
He also remembered that their pain and suspense 
was relieved — " the tidings came that Jesus was 
risen." Then later the familiar voice said, " Peace 
be unto you." All this, and many other events 
did he remember only too well! But above all 
other things he remembered, Christ's victory over 
death, hell and the grave was the most vivid. 

IV. Jesus is pre-eminent by virtue of his 
SINLESS character. From the very day that 
Jesus walked up and down the earth, there has 
come the marvelous challenge, " Who of you con- 
victeth me of sin?" This challenge unaccepted 
compels men to admit that he was a sinless charac- 
ter. The consciousness of this truth brings man 
to the sense of his own frailty and imperfections. 
It causes him to long for the perfect, and to feel 
that somewhere and sometime he will attain it. 
When the Master was on the earth he walked 
among men, yet wholly unlike them. Where they 
lost, he won ; where they sinned, he was perfect ; 
where they were weak, he was strong; where they 
were faithless, he was faithful, and where they 
ignored the will of God, he was obedient. He met 
all the attacks upon his character in the same way 
and with the same challenge. Indeed, he was lit- 
erally a sinless person. In him we have a char- 
acter of immaculate purity. In all that is re- 
corded of him there is no word of evidence of 



136 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

moral fault ! There is positively no ground for 
reproach I Had he anywhere, even in his prayers 
to his heavenly Father, hinted that he was guilty 
of fault in the least, some record of this self-ac- 
cusation would have been recorded; beyond a 
doubt, it would have found its way into tradition 
concerning him. When his cause was prostrate 
and nothing but death awaited him, when his ene- 
mies were nailing him to the tree, when he was 
dying, do you not think that some expression im- 
plying penitence would have been heard? Not 
only is there no trace of such a feeling on his part, 
but it will scarcely be denied that he made on his 
followers the impression that he was perfectly free 
from moral fault. 

V. Our Saviour is pre-eminent by virtue 

OF HIS UNSELFISH MINISTRY TO MANKIND. Who 

can fail to see that " he stooped to conquer " ? 
His was a life of ceaseless service. The doctrine 
he preached and taught was, " Let him who would 
be greatest serve." This doctrine was exempli- 
fied in his own life before the world. If one should 
ask me for a sentence that would include his entire 
life I would write this sentence — " He went about 
doing good." There's his life in one sentence! 
He emptied his life for others. He was willing 
to serve, though it would lead eventually to the 
cross and to death. Oh, how weary and disgusted 
we are with the selfish service of the benefactors 
{?) of our own day ! How we question the motive 



PRE-EMINENCE OF OUR SAVIOUR 137 

with which they serve ! Did men ever question the 
Saviour's motive? Not so! Paul cried, "Ye 
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
though he was rich, yet he became poor, that we 
through his poverty might become rich." And 
then he suffered the just for the unjust, and by 
his stripes, long and deep, we are healed. In 
every relation of life he served for the joy he might 
bring to others. Men knew him as a physician of 
both soul and body ; they flocked after him as the 
good shepherd of the sheep ; they love him as a 
friend that sticketh closer than a brother, and 
they worship him as the living, unselfish Son of 
God. Men receive and cherish his own words: 
" I came not to be ministered unto but to min- 
ister." 

VI. In his teaching Christ is pre-eminent. 
He had never had the advantage of what we call 
an education, but he was truly the world's great- 
est teacher. Sensible men and women care less 
about the religious teaching of such teachers as 
Confucius, Zoroaster, Buddha, Mohammed, and 
other founders of ethnic faiths. All over the 
world we hear men crying out : " Master, we 
know that thou art a teacher come from God: 
for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, 
except God be with him." His sermon on the 
mount stands unrivaled for its matchless teach- 
ing. It has stood every test for two thousand 
years ! Some one has said in substance that the 



188 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

critics have made no more impression on it than 
the shooting of boiled peas would make on the 
Rock of Gibraltar. 

He is the hub of the great spiritual system. 
What the sun is to the solar system, Jesus is to the 
spiritual system. All other systems, dogmas, 
and speculations appear for a short time, disap- 
pear and never return. They all flee before the 
Son of the Most High ! 

" Other systems have their day ; 

They have their day and cease to be; 
They are but broken lights of thee, 

And thou, O Lord, art more than they." 

Truly " never man spake like this man." This 
was a remarkable tribute to the power of Christ 
as a teacher. Man never spake such revelations 
of truth. No man ever taught such sublime 
truths about the character of God, and about the 
relation between God and man, and because he 
thus taught, he stirred the heart and stimulated 
the mind of the pupil. 

The purpose of his teaching was to bring the 
will of man into harmony with the will of God. 
He used his scholarship to teach others how to 
live. He opened no school, neither did he an- 
nounce a course of study. " He is himself the 
great university of mankind, and every hungry 
soul becomes his pupil by the very fact of its 
hunger." 

His teaching is not alone in the words which he 



PRE-EMINENCE OF OUR SAVIOUR 139 

uttered; it is also the deeds which he did and the 
example of his own life. He was recognized by the 
greatest minds of his own day to be the great 
religious teacher whose coming was to fulfill the 
ideal hopes of centuries. It was not his words 
only that gave them this belief; it was their em- 
bodiment in his acts and their illustration in his 
character. He revealed religious truth that was 
to be not only accepted but lived. He not only 
told men what this divine truth was, but showed 
them by the life he lived ! 

VII. As A Saviour of the world Jesus is 
PRE-EMINENT. The angel Gabriel came from 
heaven and announced to Mary that she was 
highly favored, and that she was to give birth to 
a son who was to be the Saviour of the world. 
" And thou shalt call his name Jesus ; for it is he 
that shall save his people from their sins." He 
was born, and the glad tidings were announced to 
the shepherds who were on duty at night watch- 
ing their flocks. Does it not seem natural that 
he spoke later concerning the good Shepherd who 
would lay down his life for the sheep ,? " And lo, 
an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory 
of the Lord shone round about them: and they 
were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 
Be not afraid : for behold, I bring you glad tidings 
of great joy, which shall be to all the people. For 
unto you is born this day in the city of David, a 
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." 

Then the attention of the wise men from the 



140 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

east was attracted, and they followed the star to 
Bethlehem, and when they saw the child and his 
mother they fell down and worshipped him; and 
opening their treasures, they offered unto him 
gifts ! That child was God's unspeakable gift to 
a perishing world — the gift of a Saviour ! 

" A guilty, weak, and helpless worm. 
On thy kind arm I fall; 
Be thou my strength and righteousness. 
My Saviour and my all.** 



XII 
THE WAY TO GOD 

" Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and 
the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." 
(John 14:6). 

These words of the text are true to the prophetic 
picture thrown upon the pages of prophecy more 
than seven hundred years before Jesus came into 
the world. " And a highway shall be there, and 
a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness ; 
the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be 
for the redeemed: the wayfaring men, yea fools, 
shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor 
shall any ravenous beast go up thereon, they shall 
not be found there ; but the redeemed shall walk 
there: and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, 
and come with singing unto Zion ; and everlast- 
ing j oy shall be upon their heads : they shall ob- 
tain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing 
shall flee away." (Isa. 35:8.) 

Here is a prophetic utterance concerning a way. 

Jesus said, " I am the way." This is one of the 

marvelous claims advanced by our Lord. The 

claim is unique, a divine claim. No one before or 

since has ventured to make a similar claim. 
141 



142 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

Buddha and Mohammed taught what they believed 
to be the truth. The Master goes far beyond 
this and says, " I am the way " ! To those who 
are friendly to the cause of Christ and Christi- 
anity, this utterance seems very natural when 
viewed in connection with his life, so full of the 
heavenly message and wonderful works. One can- 
not conceive of the joy and gladness he has 
brought to millions through the work he did. 
Each heart has had, at some time, the personal ex- 
perience of the word of this truth. He teaches 
that whosoever shall take him as the way will at- 
tain the true end of the way — the end of spiritual 
life, even God himself! Just as the stream re- 
turns to the ocean from which it was drawn, so 
the spiritual life returns to God who gave it. 
Just here it may be said, " The spirit attains to 
union with God, from whom its life is derived." 
He assures the disciples that those who had seen 
him had seen the Father. He is the Mediator, the 
junction between man and God. He is the Alpha 
and Omega ; therefore he is absolutely the way! 
This truth leads us to observe in the first place : 
I. Some of the characteristics of the 

WAY. 

(1) It is a plain way. We are told that it is 
so plain that " wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not 
err therein." Here we find a way that is free 
from everything that might intersect, and along 
which there is an abundant supply of guide-posts. 
In him there can be no mistakes made. In him 



THE WAY TO GOD 143 

we have a directory so clear that reference to it 
settles every question. God's Word is the ex- 
clusive guide of life. It is true you will find many 
difficulties in the Word of God — many things that 
you cannot understand. Yet there are no diffi- 
culties in the ascertainment of the way of life. 
The way of forgiveness and to the Father's house 
is written with the clearness of a sunbeam. There 
is no occasion for stumbling; no reason why one 
should mistake the way. It is a way easily 
known. So when the way seems dark, and per- 
plexing problems confront you; when you are at 
a loss to know what to do, turn your mind and 
heart upon Jesus Christ, the example and rule by 
which your acts are to be governed. Do not ask, 
" What would Jesus do," but rather ask what did 
Jesus do. You will find in his life an example of 
what you ought to do in every relation of life. 
He was always master of the situation and never 
made a mistake. Thus he is a worthy pilot of 
the soul, and one that will lead us eventually to 
the Father. 

" Jesus, Saviour, pilot me 

Over life's tempestuous sea; 
Unknown waves before me roll, 

Hiding rocks and treach'rous shoal; 
Chart and compass came from thee; 

Jesus, Saviour, pilot me. 

" As a mother stills her child, 
Thou canst hush the ocean wild; 



144 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

Boist'rous waves obey thy will 

When thou sayst to them, * Be still ! ' 

Wondrous Sovereign of the sea, 
Jesus, Saviour, pilot me. 

" When at last I near the shore. 

And the fearful breakers roar 
'Twixt me and the peaceful rest. 

Then while leaning on thy breast. 
May I hear thee say to me, 

* Fear not, I will pilot thee.' " 

(2) It is a may of perfect holiness, " The un- 
clean shall not pass over it." It is a holy way. 
The way is characterized by those who traverse 
it. They are Christian people journeying along 
the way of life with other Christian people. The 
redeemed walk therein — those who separated 
themselves from the contaminated world and are 
living lives of purity, always striving to do the will 
of God. It is, indeed, a step far in advance of 
morality. It looks far beyond self, and endeavors 
to be helpful to others. 

(3) The way is a pleasant y congenial and safe 
may. There are pilgrim songs. The way is 
traversed by the most congenial companions. 
They think divine thoughts, and commune with 
the Infinite. The very nature of their characters 
makes the journey a pleasant one. Every step is 
a joy! 

" You may talk of the friendship of youth and of age. 
And select for your comrades the noble and sage. 



THE WAY TO GOD 145 

But the friends that most cheer me on life's rugged 
road 
Are the friends of my Master^ the children of God." 

Then it is a safe way. " He shall give his 
angels charge concerning thee and in their hands 
they will bear thee up lest at any time you dash 
your foot against a stone." " He shall keep the 
feet of his saints." " No lion shall be there, nor 
any ravenous beast shall go up thereon." No 
harm can befall those who are on the way with 
the Lord. He is the Shepherd of the sheep, and 
we should have faith enough to know that he will 
care for us ! 

" The Lord my pasture shall prepare, 
And feed me with a Shepherd's care; 

His presence shall my wants supply, 

And guard me with a watchful eye; 
My noonday walks he shall attend, 

And all my midnight hours defend." 

Then we are told that it is a way of j oy . They 
shall come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting 
joy shall be upon their heads. Whether we enjoy 
the journey or not depends upon the presence of 
the elements that go to make up the way. These 
elements are large purposes, high ideals, and tasks 
large enough to command all time, thought and 
affection. 

II. In the second place Jesus is the way 
THROUGH HIS INCARNATION. As many study the 
incarnation of the Saviour they are prone to lay 



146 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

too much stress upon the human side of his life. 
The fact of his becoming the helpless babe of 
Bethlehem and growing up like any other ordinary 
man makes them feel too keenly the force of the 
human element that entered into his character. 
That he was truly human is a truth that should 
never be lost sight of. He took upon himself the 
nature of a human. He became flesh just as you 
and I did. It was absolutely necessary that the 
human enter into his character. This was nec- 
essary in order that he might understand our na- 
ture more perfectly — that he might understand 
the human as well as the divine. It is the fact 
of the human element in him that enables him to 
say to men, " I am the way," for they must begin 
with us ; that is, the wu^ must begin with human 
nature. Not only is it true that many make " too 
much " of the human side of the Master's charac- 
ter; there is also a tendency to neglect, or min- 
imize, at least, the truth of the Saviour's divinity. 
But listen, the Saviour's divinity is the corollary 
of his humanity. Indeed, it is through his divine 
nature that he becomes the end of the way, just 
as by the human he is its beginning. He leads 
from the temporal to the eternal, from sin to God, 
from earth to heaven — all because he is " God 
with us." Indeed, his incarnation discloses the 
greatest manifestation of divine perfections. The 
angels had seen God's power, wisdom and goodness 
in all creation, but in the incarnation they saw his 
condescension and grace. This was the event that 



THE WAY TO GOD 147 

made even the angels of heaven sing, " Glory to 
God in the highest." 

III. Christ is the way because man can- 
not GET TO God through nature and moral 
LAW alone. Along this line there are many who 
argue that Christ may be one of the ways to God, 
but that he is not the only way. They claim that 
it is possible for the individual to " rise through 
nature to nature's God." It is true that back of 
all nature there is the wisdom and power of an 
Almighty Creator. We look at the marvelous 
work of the universe, and see nothing but order 
and harmony in it all. The wonders of it all speak 
of an intelligent and infinite mind. Then there 
is the great work of Providence preserving all this 
harmony and order. Indeed, when we realize our 
own littleness and insignificance in view of the 
grandeur surrounding us on the earth, we cry 
out with the psalmist of old, " What is man that 
thou art mindful of him? " Besides, there is in 
nature that which destroys those conceptions of 
benevolence which Providence seems to have estab- 
lished. In nature we find the mystery of pain and 
evil — " facts which, if viewed apart, lead to 
Buddha's idea of life as a curse and not a bless- 
ing." Yes, it is an established fact that there is 
no true way to God through nature alone. In this 
way we could not rise to the knowledge of the di- 
vine and loving Father. All these laws of nature 
tell of God's mighty power. Behind then Provi- 
dence is many times hidden. Hence those who 



148 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

seek to come to God in this way approach him in 
fear instead of faith. Then history shows that the 
men who try to come to God in this way are led 
farther from him. This is because they have come 
to " worship the creature rather than the Crea- 
tor, who is blessed forever." (Rom. 1:25.) 

IV. Jesus is necessarily the way because 

MAN CANNOT GET TO GOD EVEN THROUGH THE 
HIGHER NATURE WITH WHICH GoD HAS ENDOWED 

OUR BEING. But one says, " There is within man 
himself a witness of the Deity." Not by nature 
alone can we get to God. Our moral nature, or 
conscience, is the evidence of the divine presence 
of God in man. We may say that when our con- 
science speaks it is God calling to duty and higher 
and holier living. And if we walk according to 
its promptings we shall get to God. We are will- 
ing to admit that this is, in a measure, true. But 
certainly it is not all the truth. I can see how it 
would be the whole truth if there were no sin in 
the world. Then it would be truth regarding 
man's relation to God. But the proposition that 
now confronts us is whether or not men always 
obey the divine law and listen to the voice of con- 
science. Do even the best of men do it.'' Does 
not the conscience sometimes become dull and be- 
numbed.'' Is not its voice often disregarded.'' 
Was not this true in the case of Judas' betrayal.'' 
And was it not true in the event of Peter's denial.'' 
Hence, can we not see that the divine law only re- 
veals our real distance from God.'' " By the law 



THE WAY TO GOD 149 

is the knowledge of sin." It gives us a glimpse of 
the righteousness of God the Father, yet are in 
it the words, " The soul that sinneth shall die." 
It tells of the loving Father whose heart grieves 
when the law is broken, and who will vindicate its 
real worth. Thus we are led to see that men are 
not led by this way to the Father's love and care. 
V. All this leads us to Jesus alone as the 
WAY. Just as a way is a road connecting two 
points, so Jesus is a way connecting earth and 
heaven. He is the bond of union between man 
and God. He is the highway leading from earth 
to heaven. Men have sinned and are spiritually 
dead. In Adam all died, but in Jesus Christ all 
are made alive again. His mission was to bring 
life to men, and those who have received him have 
accom.plished the end for which God sent them into 
the world. They conform their wills to the will 
of God — one with the Saviour and God. 
Through him they have attained to the spiritual 
end! Jesus is, therefore, the means by which we 
" attain to truth which is light and the life which 
is love." Thus how truly can he say, " 1 am the 
way ''! Why is he the way.'' He is the way be- 
cause he is the truth and the life! A way is not 
the correct way unless it leads to the desired end. 
Men long for the Father, and are searching for 
the WAY leading to him. Jesus leads them to the 
desired end! In him they realize and are saved 
from the sinful course of their lives. Too, by the 
gospel message he delivered to the world they learn 



150 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

that the divine law has been vindicated, " so that 
in him God is seen to be the just and the justi- 
fier." " I say, of his righteousness at this present 
season: that he might himself be just, and the 
justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus." (Rom. 
3:26.) Through faith and communion with 
Jesus they become one with the Father in him. 
Thus it can be clearly seen that Jesus is the way 
to the Father — that his claims were true. 
" Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles 
in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that 
which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by 
hands : that ye were at that time separate from 
Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Is- 
rael, and strangers from the covenants of prom- 
ise, having no hope without God in the world. 
But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off 
are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For he is 
our peace, who made both one, and brake down 
the middle wall of perdition, having abolished in 
his flesh the enmity, even the law of command- 
ments contained in the ordinances ; that he might 
create in himself of the two one new man, so mak- 
ing peace, and might reconcile them both in one 
body unto God through the cross, having slain the 
enmity thereby: and he came and preached peace 
to you that were far off^, and peace to them that 
were nigh: for through him we both have our ac- 
cess in one Spirit unto the Father. So then ye 
are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are 
fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the house- 



THE WAY TO GOD 151 

hold of God, being built upon the foundation of 
the apostles and prophets, Christ himself being 
the chief corner stone ; in whom each several build- 
ing, fitly framed together, groweth into a body 
temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are one 
builded together for a habitation of God in the 
Spirit." (Eph. 2:11-22.) 

Yl. Now LET US NOTICE HOW JeSUS AS THE 

WAY IS TO BE RECEIVED. In this regard there can 
be no doubt. The Lord has not left us in any 
doubt whatever ! " I am the way " ! It is 
through him that the spiritual life is implanted in 
us, and by whom we are led to the end of the way. 
But we must become actually united to him ! 
There are no " half ways ! " He must be the 
source from which we are to draw all our spirit- 
ual strength. We must feel that without him we 
can do nothing. It is he to whom we must look 
for help in overwhelming evil. He must be the 
one inspiring us onward and upward. " In him 
was life; and the life was the light of men." 
(John 1:4.) In him alone is light — the truth; 
and in him alone is life — power ! Therefore, he 
is the way ! In him those means of grace that 
would otherwise be worthless become channels 
through which we are assisted along the way to 
our heavenly home! When we are really and 
truly in Christ everything aesthetic helps to encour- 
age us along the way. We see God in all things 
that he hath made. Truly, " the heavens declare 
the glory of God." The flowers, the birds, the 



152 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

sunbeams, and all the beauties of nature become 
incentives to advancement on the way. We see the 
beautiful because we are in Christ, he being the 
very embodiment of all things that are beautiful. 
When men believe, they " the long j ourney begin." 
On the way there must be progress — we must move 
forward — the ultimate attainment requires this ! 
Our present attainment is only an earnest and 
fuller joy. We can know but little of his real 
power and glory, wisdom and goodness, until we 
shall see him. " Seeing it is God that said. Light 
shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our 
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the 
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 
Cor. 4:6.) At the beginning of the way Christ 
rises in our souls. " But unto you that fear my 
name shall the sun of righteousness arise with 
healing in its wings." 



XIII 
THE PRODIGAL SON 

Luke 15:11-32. 

The parable of the prodigal son is, perhaps, 
the most familiar parable recorded in the New 
Testament, and, strange to say, there are hun- 
dreds of people who turn coldly away from it. It 
may be that they have turned away from it be- 
cause it is such familiar ground that it has 
lost its charai for them. Familiarity frequently 
drives away all charm that beautiful scenery, 
books, or other aesthetic objects may have for us. 
Upon this very thought Dr. Chapman gives us a 
word which serves as a most excellent illustration. 
He was sweeping through the magnificent Rocky 
Mountain scenery some time ago, and when the car 
had plunged into the Royal Gorge, and later into 
the Grand Canon, it seemed to him that scenery 
more sublime could not be found in all the world, 
and if he had never been impressed before with the 
existence of God, he should have cried out unto 
him in the midst of those mountain peaks. He 
noticed that everyone in the car, with one single 
exception, was gazing with rapt admiration. This 

one woman was reading a book, and to his certain 
153 



154 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

knowledge she did not lift her eyes once from the 
printed page while they were in that wonderful 
scenery. When they had swung out into the great 
table-land, he overheard her say to a friend, " This 
is the thirteenth time I have crossed these moun- 
tains. The first time I could not keep the tears 
from rolling down my cheeks, so impressed was I, 
but now I know it so well that I frequently go 
through the whole range with scarcely a glance 
cast out the window." It is thus that we read 
God's Word, and that which fills heaven with won- 
der and furnishes the angels a theme for never- 
ending praise we read with indifference, or fail 
to read at all. It is thus that many read the story 
of the prodigal son. Others read it again and 
again with increasing interest, notwithstanding its 
familiarity. 

This story of the prodigal son naturally falls 
into two great parts. In the first one we consider 
him as : 

I. A WILLING AND DETERMINED SINNER. This 

young man was like a great many young men of 
our own time. He thought himself too wise to be 
subject to his parents. He did not want to be 
tied to " mother's apron strings." It was not 
his wish that his father should dictate for him. 
According to his idea, he was capable of taking 
care of himself. He could not but think that he 
was smart enough to be his own man. For him 
the rules of home were too rigid ; the burdens of 
home were greater than he could bear. He could 



THE PRODIGAL SON 155 

not be free, and freedom was what he most desired. 
Finally he went to his father and said, " ' Father, 
give me the portion of thy substance that falleth 
to me.' And he divided unto them his living. 
And not many days after, the younger son gath- 
ered all together and took his journey into a far 
country." At last he had set himself free! The 
restrictions that had tortured him for so long 
were overcome; the many hard errands were fin- 
ished. The monotony of the daily routine had 
turned into a thing of the past. The daily pro- 
grammes were planned according to his notion. 
To himself he whispered, " Henceforth I am my 
own master and the broad world is before me. 
Over this vast domain I will come and go as I 
please; there is nothing to prevent it. The world 
is a tremendous field in which I am free to sow; I 
will see life." It was certainly a tragic thing for 
him to boast of " seeing life " when it was really 
death he was seeing. When you hear one talking 
a great deal about being " free " it means, as a 
rule, that he is enslaving himself. In the begin- 
ning he does feel a delusive sense of freedom. No 
longer does he have to be on duty at certain hours, 
obey the rules of a master, perform tasks ; the 
world is before him, and the restrictions that he 
had formerly known were left behind. He is 
free ( ?). He is strong and healthy, and why not 
step out on the great play-board of life, like other 
young men, and test his power .^^ So he starts on 
his journey. The old home grows dim. The 



156 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

present is rich and full, but " expectation points 
on to new sensations and experiences " ; the future 
beckons, and he goes. From city to city, from 
country to country, the free (?) traveler makes 
his way. He is doing as he pleases. If he wishes 
to stay he stays, and if he feels impelled to go he 
goes. He sees men on every side who are tied by 
duties, while he has none. He has broken the old 
prison in which so many people bind themselves 
with care and duty. He breathes the pure air, 
and " walks with the world at his feet." How free 
— how absolutely independent I He is no longer 
dominated by duty, morality, God; he is a grown 
man, and he has put away childish things. He 
has exchanged the old home for the world, and 
henceforth the world is his home. He goes to the 
far country; and while there, he wastes his sub- 
stance with riotous living. " And when he had 
spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that 
country; and he began to be in want. And he 
went and joined himself to a citizen of that coun- 
try; and he sent him into the field to feed swine. 
And he would fain have filled his belly with the 
husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave 
unto him." You notice that when his money goes 
his friends go also, for friends that are bought 
with money disappear when the money disappears. 
Listen, friend, go without friends rather than buy 
them ! Yea, go unloved rather than buy the 
lover ! 

This parable is acted over and over again and 



THE PRODIGAL SON 157 

again! We see it every day. But it is only 
when we consider the spiritual meaning of the par- 
able that the sinful and ugly conduct of this son 
comes clearly into view. God is the father, man 
is the son. The rule of the father is a spiritual 
one. His voice is the voice of conscience, and the 
desire to escape his control is wholly unreasonable 
and unjustifiable. He has the right to make cer- 
tain standards, and require each individual to live 
up to them. He has a right to punish or reward 
according to his will, and when one endeavors to 
set aside his authority and control, he is seeking 
to put pleasure in the place of duty, to shake off 
obligation to his God, to the church, and to his fel- 
low-men. He is like the man who has had re- 
ligious training in early life and due regard for 
the worship of God and for the house of prayer, 
and then, after having tasted heavenly gifts, turns 
away like a dog to the vomit, or the sow to wal- 
lowing in the mire. 

In the second part of the story we consider him 
as: 

II. An HUMBI.E PENITENT. No story in the 
Bible gives us a more perfect picture of a model 
penitent than the last part of the story of the 
prodigal son. From it we learn in what attitude 
of soul we should return to our heavenly Father. 
The manner in which the better mind was awak- 
ened in him is not necessarily an example to us. 
It was when hunger crept upon him that he " came 
to himself " and thought upon the sinful course 



158 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

that had brought him to this low station in life. 
But, of course, this is only one of the many ways 
in which God makes his voice heard. It was 
through hunger that he spoke to the prodigal, but 
the way in which he calls the attention to our spir- 
itual danger may be far different. Speaking of 
the various ways in which God calls to us, Sam 
Jones said : " Have you any idea how many calls 
there are in this book (the Bible) to you, my 
brother, and to you, my sister.? O this book, with 
each page and sometimes with each verse, calling 
us to nobler and better things ! And this book 
has been on the table at your home, and on the 
shelf at your home, and in your library at your 
home, this book to-day with its millions of copies 
scattered over the earth, and almost a million 
calls in each book ! Oh, surely no man can sink 
down to hell at last and say, ' I would have gone 
to nobler heights and to a better life than I did if 
I had just one call of mercy and goodness from 
God to me.' This blessed book, how full of 
calls ! " The providence of God brought Sam 
Jones around to his father's dying pillow, and he 
watched him as he passed out of this world. God 
placed his father's corpse in his pathway and he 
turned around and said, " I will go back ; I will go 
back." This is the way in which God called his 
attention to his spiritual danger, and there are 
many other ways in which God leads us to whole- 
some change in the conduct of life. A severe ill- 
ness, the sudden death of a friend, an unexpected 



THE PRODIGAL SON 159 

calamity, a kind word, a word of advice, the touch 
of a friendly hand, the pleading voice of a disci- 
ple — some one of these ways the attention may be 
directed to our awful danger and the terrible loss 
and risk to which we are exposed by remaining 
among the swine away from him. But let the ex- 
perience that brings us to the Father be what it 
may, we can find no better pattern of penitence in 
word and action than the prodigal son affords us 
in the latter part of his history. 

(1) This young man finds fault with no one but 
himself. From one end of the journey to the 
other he is not heard to say a word against his evil 
companions — against those who lured him along 
the broad road of sin — against those who would 
not give him a mouthful to eat — against those 
who took his money and fled; he has nothing to 
say about sinfulness in general ; he has nothing to 
say about the various societies and classes, or any- 
thing to say about anybody's condition but his 
own. He says he himself is to blame ; he himself 
is unworthy; he himself has sinned. When he 
came to himself he said, " What a fool I have been. 
Here I am — cold, homeless, friendless — without 
money, alone, starving; and in my father's house 
the servants have enough and to spare. I will go 
back and ask to be made a servant." Here is the 
crisis; here is the dividing line; here is the ex- 
tremity; here his soul quivers in the balances of 
decision. Thus far his course was one of folly, 
and his return was the course of wisdom. It was 



160 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

when he came to himself that he said, " I will arise 
and go unto my father. I will not try to excuse 
myself on the ground of bad companions. I have 
no right to mention them, though the judge may 
take them into account. The fact, when all is 
said, remains. I am responsible for my guilt, and 
my only recourse is to make a manly confession. 
I have sinned ; I am unworthy." 

(2) He feels a sense of shame for his miscon- 
duct. He abases himself before his earthly father 
as well as before God. This is a plain mark of 
penitence. " It is easy to call yourself the chief 
of sinners, expecting every sinner round you to 
decline, or return the compliment ; but learn to 
measure the real degrees of your own relative base- 
ness and to be ashamed, not only in heaven's sight 
but in man's sight, and redemption is indeed be- 
gun." Notice carefully — " I have sinned against 
heaven " — " against God and before thee." He 
feels that he is degraded before his father, and that 
he is fit to be only a servant. He is ashamed, and 
most assuredly, the element of shame is essential to 
true penitence. 

(3) Another mark of genuine penitence is the 
desire to he henceforth subject to authority. 
What a wonderful change ! He left the father^ s 
house ; he is glad to return to it as a master's 
house. " Make me as one of thy hired servants." 
The spirit in which he comes back to the father is 
plainly seen in this request. He wants to serve. 
He seems to have wanted to recompense his father 



THE PRODIGAL SON 161 

for any pain he might have caused him. He is 
glad to get back under the rule from under which 
he was once so anxious to be free. He makes an 
open request : " Make me as one of thy hired 
servants." " Redemption must begin in subjec- 
tion and in recovery of the sense of fatherhood 
and authority, just as all ruin and dissolution 
began in a loss of that sense." The lost son be- 
gan by claiming his rights ; he is found when he 
resigns them. He is lost by flying from his father 
when his father's authority was only paternal; he 
is found by returning to his father, and desiring 
that his authority may be absolute, as over hired 
servants. Thus we see by all these remarks — by 
humbly confessing his guilt, by feeling shame on 
account of it, and by sincerely desiring to be ruled 
and controlled by the will of the father — the 
father's house and the father's heart were opened 
to him. The father's great loving heart was 
touched, and he " said to his servants, Bring forth 
quickly the best robe, and put it on him ; and put 
a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet : and bring 
the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and 
make merry : for this my son was dead, and is alive 
again; he was lost, and is found. And they be- 
gan to be merry." 

But while his father is lavishing his great love 
upon him, the prodigal is feeling his unworthi- 
ness. " I am no more worthy to be called thy 
son." He feels that the time when he mas worthy 
is in the distant past. He begins to form an es- 



162 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

timate of himself, and this estimate depended upon 
the standard with which he compared himself. He 
had formed a different measure of himself in his 
previous experience, because his standard had been 
diiFerent. He had a good opinion of himself. 
With his money he was liberal; he was generous- 
hearted; he had a great big heart. Nothing was 
too costly with which to treat his friends ; money 
was no object with him ; he flung it right and left, 
and he had the reputation of being the most 
whole-hearted fellow in the far country. He 
thought he was a good fellow, and measured by 
harlots and drunkards, he was a good fellow, and 
when he settled down to something like industry 
and measured himself with swineherds, he thought 
himself perhaps better than the average. 

It may be that he was, but when he turned his 
thoughts backward and compared himself with the 
great loving father whose home he had rashly left, 
then he said, " I am no more worthy to be called 
thy son." He had adopted a new standard, and 
thus a new judgment was reached. In the light 
of this new standard, are you worthy to be called 
God's son ? Take this standard : God's son — 
are you worthy to be called God's son? How shall 
we apply the measurements? This way! Take 
Jesus Christ and lay your life alongside his and 
then ask yourself, " Am I worthy to be called 
God's son? " If you find that your life is not 
wholly consecrated to God's service, and that your 
heart is not full of unselfishness and self-forget- 



THE PRODIGAL SON 163 

ting love, you are not worthy to be called God's 
son. 

III. In the third place let us look at the 
PRODIGAL AND HIS BROTHER. I have often Won- 
dered what the result would have been if the par- 
able had closed while we were rejoicing in the re- 
turn and reception of this younger brother. He 
has returned from the far country, and his father 
has commanded merrymaking. If this story had 
closed here we would have been left rejoicing in 
the joy of the father over his regained and peni- 
tent son. The ring of a prince is put on his fin- 
ger, and the shoes of a freeman on his feet. 
There is great rejoicing. The father seems to 
say that the best is not good enough for the son 
who has just returned from the far country. 
Everything is brilliant and gay. No heart is 
beating with greater joy than that father's. The 
music increases and the dancing adds to the mer- 
riment. But behold, in the midst of it all there 
comes a discord occasioned by the elder brother, 
whose ugly conduct robs the story of its natural 
and happy ending. " He was angry and would 
not go in: and his father came out, and entreated 
him. But he answered and said to his father, Lo, 
these many years do I serve thee, and I never 
transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet 
thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make 
merry with my friends: but when this thy son 
came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, 
thou killest for him the fatted calf." From these 



16^ STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

two passages of Scripture it seems that the 
father's service was the elder brother's delight ; 
that at all times he had kept his father's command- 
ments ; that he was always willing to confide in his 
father's wisdom and care. Apparently the elder 
brother's character was in great contrast to that 
of his younger brother, for, as we have seen, the 
conduct of the younger brother was for a time of 
the most corrupt type. In him we have an open 
and jovial sinner depicted to the very life. But 
is the elder son in any way a better son? Is his 
conduct more commendable than the younger 
brother's.? Does he show a more childlike spirit.'' 
Does he conduct himself more like a son than his 
younger brother.? Do you see even one more ad- 
mirable trait of character in him than in the 
younger brother.? No, not one — not a whit! 
He is not one iota better than the younger brother. 
" Loving dependence, free obedience, glad and dis- 
interested service are the distinctive marks of son- 
ship." Not one of these do we find in him. Ac- 
cording to his own story, he was a servant rather 
than a son, and his father is much more a master to 
him than a father! He is no better satisfied at 
home than his younger brother who would not sub- 
mit to its restraints. His obedience was not free 
but servile. He has, been serving for wages, and 
without them I do not think that he would have 
served. He claims to have earned far more than 
he has received. Obviously, then, we can see that 
the elder son was as far away from his father's 



THE PRODIGAL SON 165 

heart and spirit as the younger son who had 
been from his father's home, and had sunk 
into a bondage from which it was still harder 
to redeem him. We are to remember that in this 
story we have the pictures of two prodi- 
gals instead of one — two men who had 
wandered from God. They lost their standing 
as sons by losing the spirit of sons, the elder son 
having strayed even farther from God than the 
reckless prodigal who, under all his sins and sinful 
impulses, had a son's heart in him, and was at last 
drawn back by it to his father's arms. The par- 
able teaches that those who esteem themselves 
saints, because they busy themselves with religious 
theories and fancies, may be made of far more im- 
penetrable stuff than the transgressors whom they 
eye with suspicion and disdain. But it teaches 
another lesson even more surprising and encour- 
aging than this — the lesson that though men 
may be as bad as they may, and whether they 
show a willing, sinful, wanton spirit, or a cautious, 
selfish, and mercenary spirit, or whether they are 
slaves to impulses or of conventionalism, God is 
always a good Father to them ALL. The truth 
is that we may each of us only too easily find 
both of these men in himself, and, therefore, God's 
grace to the one should be as welcome and pathetic 
as his grace to the other. 

Thus we may rejoice in our hearts that our 
heavenly Father is exceedingly good to us all, and 
that when we are angry with him and, like the 



166 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

elder son, will not go in, he loves us with an ever- 
lasting love and comes out and entreats us. 

" God is calling the prodigal, come without delay. 
Hear, oh hear him calling, calling now for thee; 
Tho' you've wander'd so far from his presence, come 

to-day. 
Hear his loving voice calling still. 

" Patient, loving, and tenderly still the Father pleads. 
Hear, oh hear him calling, calling now for thee; 
Oh, return while the Spirit in mercy intercedes. 
Hear his loving voice calling still. 

" Come, there's bread in the house of thy Father, and 

to spare. 
Hear, oh hear him calling, calling now for thee; 
Lo! the table is spread and the feast is waiting there 
Hear his loving voice calling still." 



XIV 
THAT PRECIOUS NAME 

" And thou shalt call his name Jesus ; for it is he that 
shall save his people from their sins." (Matt. 1:21). 

For ages the Jews had been looking for the 
Messiah whom they thought would reign in 
David's place. They were very familiar with 
such prophecies as : "I will put enmity between 
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and 
her seed; it will bruise thy head and thou shalt 
bruise his heel " ; " in blessing I will bless thee, 
and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the 
stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the 
seashore ; and thy seed shall possess the gates of 
his enemies ; and in thy seed shall all the nations 
of the earth be blessed " ; " the sceptre shall not 
depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from be- 
tween his feet, until Shiloh come ; and unto him 
shall the gatherings of the people be " ; " behold, 
a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall 
call his name Immanuel," and " thou, Bethlehem 
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thou- 
sands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth 
unto me that is to be the ruler of Israel; whose 
goings forth have been from of old, from everlast- 
ing." 

167 



168 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

These and many kindred prophecies had the 
Jews been studying from their youth, and were 
anxiously looking for their fulfillment. Accord- 
ingly, in God's own good way and time he ful- 
filled them, and the birth of him who was the ful- 
fillment of them was on this wise : " When his 
mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they 
came together, she was found to be with child of 
the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, be- 
ing a just man, and not willing to make her a pub- 
lic example, was minded to put her away privily. 
But while he thought on these things, behold, the 
angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, 
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to 
take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is 
conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she 
shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his 
name Jesus." The child was born, and " when 
eight days were accomplished for the circumcis- 
ing of the child his name was called Jesus, which 
was so named of the angel before he was conceived 
in the womb." 

The name " Jesus," like most Jewish proper 
names, is significant. Jesus means Saviour. In- 
deed, the name " Jesus " is fraught with deep 
significance and pregnant with meaning; it is 
above every name. " God hath highly exalted 
him and given him a name that is above every 
name." As a physician, is not his name above every 
name.^* A woman who had been afflicted twelve 
years and " had spent all her living upon physi- 



THAT PRECIOUS NAME 169 

cians, neither could be healed of any, came behind 
him, and touched the border of his garment, and 
immediately she was made whole." 

Again : " Two blind men followed him, crying, 
and saying. Thou son of David, have mercy on 
us." Then the great Physician put forth his 
hand, " touched their eyes, saying. According to 
your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were 
healed." By word and touch he healed all man- 
ner of diseases, and thus his name as a physician 
is above every name. 

Is not his name as a teacher above every name? 
Recall your gospel story, and you will learn that 
" about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into 
the temple, and taught," and that his teaching 
was so marvelous that they said of him, " Never 
man spake like this man." " On the Sabbath 
day he entered into the synagogue and taught." 
And " they were astonished at his doctrine : for 
he taught as one having authority," and because 
he thus taught, he stirred the heart and stimulated 
the mind of the pupil. 

The purpose of his teaching was to bring the 
will of man into harmony with the will of God. 
He used his great scholarship to teach men how 
to live ! He opened no school, neither did he an- 
nounce a course of study. " He is himself the 
great university of mankind, and every hungry 
soul becomes his pupil by the very fact of its hun- 
ger." 

His teaching is not in word alone. It is also 



170 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

in the deeds that he did and the example of his 
own hfe. He was recognized by the greatest 
minds of his own day to be the great rehgious 
teacher whose coming was to fulfill the ideal hopes 
of centuries. It was not his words only that gave 
them this belief; it was their embodiment in his 
acts and their illustration in his character. He 
revealed religious truth which was to be not only 
accepted, but lived. In the ages past God highly 
exalted him and gave him a name that is above 
every name, and " when the obelisk of fame shall 
have been erected, on which the heroic characters 
of earth shall have their names inscribed, there on 
its very apex, in letters of burning light, let the 
name of Jesus stand, the supremest of all earth's 
greatness." Let us inquire into the characteris- 
tics of this name. 

I. It is a saving name. It is precious be- 
cause it is the only name wherein we must be 
saved. " And in none other is there salvation. 
For neither is there any other name in heaven 
that is given among men wherein we must be 
saved." How sublimely does the apostle in these 
closing words shut up these rulers of Israel to 
Jesus for salvation, and in what universal 
and emphatic terms does he hold up his Lord as 
the only hope of men ! If men are saved, it will 
be in the name of Jesus. The angel announced 
that he should save his people from their sins, and 
the inspired of God said, " Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." He " is 



THAT PRECIOUS NAME 171 

able to save to the uttermost all who come unto 
him." The Scriptures affirm that unto all who 
believe his name is exceedingly precious. Yes, 

" There is a name I love to hear, 

I love to speak its worth; 
It sounds like music in mine ear, 

The sweetest name on earth. 

" It tells me of a Saviour's love, 

Who died to set me free ; 
It tells me of his precious blood, 

The sinner's perfect plea. 

" Jesus ! the name I love so well. 

The name I love to hear ! 
No saint on earth its worth can tell. 

No heart conceive how dear. 

** This name shall shed its fragrance still 

Along this thorny road; 
Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill 

That leads me up to God." 

II. His name is a conquering name. In the 
ancient " classic " world the people were drunken, 
licentious, and entered into many deplorable sins. 
Worst of all, these things were a part of their re- 
ligion. One needs but a glance into the history 
of the ante-Christian days to see that the people 
were barbarous and uncivilized. When Jesus 
came to this earth it was wrapped in a great wind- 
ing-sheet of pagan darkness, " except the little 



172 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

narrow strip of Palestine, and even there God's 
own people had so far forsaken him that they had 
made his holy temple a den .of thieves." Romans 
3 :10-18 discloses their deplorable, heart-breaking 
condition. " There is none righteous, no, not 
one: there is none that understandeth, there is 
none that seeketh after God. They are all gone 
out of the way, they are together become un- 
profitable; with their tongues they have used de- 
ceit ; the poison of asps is under their lips ; whose 
mouth is full of cursing and bitterness ; their feet 
are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery 
are in their ways ; and the way of peace have they 
not known ; there is no fear of God before their 
eyes." Here you find a word-picture of the low- 
est depths of human depravity. So awful was 
this condition that only a God-sent Saviour could 
conquer and save. 

Before the Anglo-Saxon race heard the name of 
Jesus, they were " semi-barbarous and half-civi- 
lized," but since they have heard and received it 
they have gone everywhere, carrying with them 
education, refinement, culture, good government 
and lofty ideals. How do you account for this 
wonderful change, this great transformation? If 
you will but look carefully into the reason of the 
difference between their " first state and the last," 
you will find that the conquering name of Jesus 
played a grander part in bringing about the won- 
derful change than all other things combined. 
" Righteousness exalteth the nation, but sin is a 



THAT PRECIOUS NAME 173 

reproach to any people." The history of all 
countries and peoples testifies to the truthfulness 
of this passage of Scripture. Egypt, Greece and 
Rome have gone down in their wickedness and 
shame, and their successors are the strong and glo- 
rious nations whose God is the Lord. 

Pick out, if you please, all the free, enlightened, 
educated, and happy countries, and make of them 
one great world. Over against it place another 
world made up of the oppressed, uneducated, un- 
civilized, illiterate, and unhappy countries. What 
an alarming contrast ! Such a contrast has never 
met your eye 1 What has made this contrast ? 
Why is it "^ There can be but one answer ! On 
one of these worlds the conquering name of Jesus 
is " a well of living water springing up into ever- 
lasting life," while on the other it is never heard. 

Not only does his name conquer nations — it 
conquers and saves the individual. At one time 
he was in the temple, " and all the people came 
unto him : and he sat down and taught them. And 
the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a 
woman taken in adultery, in the very act." She 
belonged to the class of outcasts. She was a sin- 
ner, and hopelessly lost ; God and society have 
abandoned her. There she stood in the multitude ; 
every eye was upon her. The multitude holds 
itself back lest it touch her! They wanted to 
stone her, but " Jesus said : ' He that is without 
sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.' 
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the 



174? STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

ground." At this they went out one by one. 
When they had gone he said to her : " ' Woman, 
where are those thine accusers? Hath no man 
condemned thee? ' She said, ' No man. Lord.' 
And Jesus said unto her, ' Neither do I condemn 
thee : go, and sin no more ' " ! The poor woman 
had gone just as near hell as a poor creature can 
get on this side, but Jesus was able to stretch 
forth his hand and rescue her. 

And did he not save Saul, the persecutor and 
murderer? Did he not save Zaccheus, the publi- 
can? There is no one so deep in sin that the Son 
of man cannot reach him ; no sin so black that he 
cannot wash away every stain! 

" Oh, what amazing words of grace 

Are in the gospel found. 
Suited to every sinner's case 

Who hears the gospel sound." 

HI. His NAME IS A COMFORTING NAME. JeSUS 

is acquainted with the needs of human life, 
and knows full well our need of a comforter. 
While he was on the earth he supplied this need 
personally, and when it became necessary for him 
to go away he promised to send another com- 
forter. This promise was fulfilled, and when the 
Comforter came he gave us seasons of refreshing 
from the presence of the Lord. How the name of 
Jesus comforts the dark and troubled soult The 
poor widow of Nain had lost her only son. The 
Master's eye saw her furrowed brow; he saw the 



THAT PRECIOUS NAME 175 

streaming tears ; he heard the tempest of sorrow 
sweeping across her troubled breast, and with a 
voice that must have trembled with compassion 
said to her, " Weep not." In his name she found 
comfort. He stands very near every troubled soul 
and says, " Look to me ; I am the God of all com- 
fort." 

A bereaved Christian man goes to the bleak 
cemetery to visit the grave of his lamented wife. 
The trackless snow, pure and white, has drifted 
deep over the mound. There he kneels in the deep 
snow and thanks God for the companionship of 
so noble a woman for a short time. His heart is 
sad, his home is broken, and there, as his face is 
bathed in tears, he thanks God for the comforting 
name of Jesus, and promises him that he will try 
to be good and pure and will meet her in the heav- 
enly land. 

" O thou that dry'st the mourner's tear ! 

How dark this world would be. 
If, when deceived and wounded here. 

We could not fly to thee. 

" But thou wilt heal the broken heart. 
Which, like the plants that throw 

Their fragrance from the wounded part. 
Breathes sweetness out of woe. 

'* Then sorrow touched by thee grows bright 

With more than rapture's ray. 
As darkness shows us worlds of light 

We could not see by day." 



176 STEPS UNTO HEAVEN 

IV. His name is an enduring name. Infi- 
dels and other enemies of the Saviour say that his 
name cannot be permitted to remain on the earth 
— that it must go ! On the other hand, there are 
milKons of his followers who vow that it will re- 
main even at the cost of their lives. Some years 
ago an infidel said, " In fifty years the influence 
of Jesus will be erased from the earth." But let 
the same infidel attempt to erase Christ from his- 
tory and art and poetry, and he will soon discover 
that he has the " rock of ages and a very dull 
chisel " ! 

Think of what one would be compelled to do 
before he could blot Jesus out of history. He 
would be compelled to destroy all the prophecy 
written before he was born. Moses, David, 
Isaiah and Daniel wrote about him. They told 
of his birth, his suffering, his trial, the words he 
uttered on the cross, and many other things about 
him hundreds of years before he came to the earth. 

To destroy the name of Jesus on earth one 
would be compelled to destroy every Bible on the 
face of the earth. Go yonder among the ice and 
snow covered Alps, and bring forth the precious 
old Book that the Christians lost while fleeing 
from the heartless Roman Catholics. Go to the 
" City of the Dead," and bring forth the old Book 
that was hidden there while the Christians were 
being persecuted by the Roman emperors. The 
lonely missionary in India has the dear old Book. 
Go gather every copy ; burn them ; burn every 



THAT PRECIOUS NAME 177 

trace of his name on paper! Is his name gone to 
be heard no more? Not so! There are enough 
houses of worship that proclaim his name to make, 
if gathered together, a city far more magnificent 
than Paris. Pile these houses five miles high, — 
let the enemy apply the torch. " Let the infidels 
laugh as the flames shoot towards the stars, but 
his name is not erased from the earth." Upon 
million after million of human hearts his name is 
engraved. His name will live on 

" Unhurt amidst the war of elements, 

The wreck of matter, and the crash of worlds." 



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